Harrogate Foodbank's warning as food poverty rises again despite town's generosity

Despite the various cost of living payment from the Government for those on benefits and help with energy bills, the result of food prices rising by 19.2%, combined with high energy bills and an inflation rate of 10.1%, is that demand is still growing for food banks – even in Harrogate.

"There’s been a huge demand for our services since last year,” said Dawn Cussons, manager of Harrogate District Foodbank.

"A grant from The Trussell Trust has meant we have been able to use two part-time Citizens Advice workers to improve the long-term situation for struggling individuals and families in Harrogate so they don’t need to go to a food bank.

"But we still fed 414 people in March this year, and the figure is on the rise again compared to last year which was already substantially higher than in 2021.”

Harrogate District Foodbank, which first opened more than ten years ago, now operates four days a week across three locations with the aim of to providing local people with three days of nutritionally-balanced emergency food and support.

As an affluent town overall, Harrogate District Foodbank charity relies on the kind-hearted nature of local people and local businesses such as legal firm Raworths which, earlier in the year, chose it as its official 2023 charity partner.

While grateful for the town’s continuing generosity, Harrogate District Foodbank says the cost of living crisis means it is not only seeing donations falling but the financial pressures on people of all backgrounds is leading to a new trend for donations of cheaper items of less nutritional benefit.

As a result, the charity is having to buy food on a regular basis to top up its supplies to its struggling clients.

"The Food Bank is quite well supported. We have got plenty of volunteers and we are grateful to everyone single person who donates food,” said Dawn Cussons.

"But we are receiving a lot more tins of beans and packets of pasta and a lot less tinned meat or more expensive items as a result of the economic picture.

"Last month we had to spend £600 to top up our warehouse with essential supplies.”

From the beginning of January this year to the end of April, Harrogate District Foodbank received five tonnes of food.

But the growing level of demand meant it actually handed out six and a half tonnes to local people in need.

The charity is also seeing the needs of school children on the rise with more of them starting the day without breakfast.

It currently supplies food, milk and juice to two Harrogate schools.

As to the remainder of 2023, Harrogate District Foodbank has faith in the town it helps but little in the struggles of significant numbers of people in our midst disappearing.

"Harrogate people are amazing and so keen to support us,” said Dawn Cussons.

"People in other towns are struggling worse than us but we still had to help 3,500 people in the Harrogate district last year.

"We are a long way from this situation easing and we really need people to carry on being so generous.”

More information at www.harrogatedistrict.foodbank.org.uk