Wigston and Harborough foodbanks receive donation after seeing rise in users

Bruce Harrison of South Leicester Foodbank warehouse in Wigston with Iain Kirkpatrick of MHBS

Foodbanks in Market Harborough and Wigston have received a donation to help cover increasing number of users.

The two foodbanks are among five to receive a share of £100,000 from Market Harborough Building Society.

The funding will be used to ensure the foodbanks can meet the growing need for emergency food parcels in Leicestershire.

It will include offering fuel vouchers and store cards alongside food.

Since April 2022, the banks have distributed more than 17,000 emergency food parcels to families and individuals. They predict that by April they will have helped over 22,000 people struggling to put food on the table.

Bruce Harrison of South Leicestershire Foodbank, which is part of the Trussell Trust, added: “This is a tremendous and generous donation. It will enable us to continue to serve the people in Leicestershire that are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

“This donation will also help us to develop our service which includes advice and advocacy, benefits and debt advice, to support people in the choices they have to make so that they don't have to rely on food banks.

“It is wrong our community is having to make decisions on what meals they can eat, whether to switch the heating on, or keep a roof over their heads. With this donation, we can offer fuel vouchers, store gift cards and other practical support alongside the emergency food parcels we are already giving out. Thank you so much for this donation, the Society is contributing to making a thriving, hopeful community.”

Chief Executive Iain Kirkpatrick said: “Rooted in the desire to give back at every opportunity, we’ve realigned our goals to reflect what really matters to our members now, in 2023.

“We’ve outlined our roadmap to a better society, called the Thrive Agenda. It’s our intention to support our members, our colleagues and our communities to flourish, to live the full and positive lives they deserve.

“The first step in this project is to support our local foodbanks in their sadly growing task of supporting families in need with basic provisions as they battle the cost of living crisis and crippling energy prices.”