THE foodbank in Northwich and Winsford is struggling to cope with the increase in demand as more families seek emergency help.

The number of families turning to the foodbank for three-day emergency food supplies at the Mid Cheshire Foodbank is increasing much faster than the national average.

Between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018, 5,511 emergency food packages were provided to people in the Northwich and Winsford area by the Mid Cheshire Foodbank.

More than 2,200 of them went to children.

The number of emergency food supplies being sought from the Mid Cheshire Foodbank has increased by 41 per cent in the past year and by 78 per cent in the past two years.

The demand in Northwich and Winsford is increasing much faster than it is around the country, with the national increase being 13 per cent in the past year and 23 per cent over the past two years.

As part of a national network campaigning for change, the foodbank is working hard to offer practical emergency support to help prevent people affected going hungry, while simultaneously participating in research about the issues people are facing in the area.

Jo Rafferty, foodbank manager of Mid Cheshire Foodbank, said: “No one in mid Cheshire should need a foodbank’s help and we want to see an end to local people needing emergency food at all.

“But until that time, we’ll continue to provide vital support when it matters most – we’re dedicated to ensuring that people in our community with no money for food are able to access emergency support, and that has only been possible in the last year because of the incredible generosity shown by local people in donating food, time and funds.

“We have received over 54 tonnes of food in the last year through donations from individuals, organisations, businesses and churches as well as permanent collection boxes and supermarket collections.

“We are struggling to keep up with the significant increase in demand so we continue to need all the help and support we get from donors, supporters and of course all our volunteers.”

Conservative MP for Eddisbury, Antoinette Sandbach, says that the ‘surest route out of poverty is work’.

Antoinette said: “Food banks provide an incredibly valuable service, and I would like to pay tribute to the hardworking volunteers involved. People visit them for a variety of reasons and it is of course highly undesirable that anybody should be in a position where they feel the need to do so.

“The welfare system supports millions of people who are on low incomes or unemployed, so nobody has to struggle to meet their basic needs, but I passionately believe that the surest route out of poverty is work. I am delighted we have seen falls in unemployment, record numbers of jobs, pay cheques rising faster than inflation and income tax cut so that working people keep more of what they earn.

“If anyone does need assistance, they should make themselves known to their local Jobcentre, Citizens Advice or to my constituency office.”

Labour MP for Weaver Vale, Mike Amesbury, is blaming the ‘shambolic’ rollout of Universal Credit, for the crisis mid Cheshire families are facing.

Mike said: “Considering we live in the world’s sixth largest economy this is a sad indictment not only of the government’s cruel and punitive welfare policies, but also its disastrous economic policies too.

“A huge amount of the casework my office has received in recent months has been around the shambolic rollout of Universal Credit, with delays leading to many people having no money for weeks. It’s surely no coincidence that UC was rolled out in Northwich in December and foodbank use has risen during the same period.

“A lot of people I’ve dealt with have also lost their disability benefits, which has forced them into hardship.

“The government’s standard reply to issues such as these is that ‘work is the best route out of poverty’, but many people using foodbanks are not only working – they are working more than one job due to the fact they’re on zero hours contracts or are just so poorly paid that they cannot make ends meet.”

“Such a rise in the backyard of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Esther McVey must surely now be enough to make the government sit up and take notice.

“We need a real living wage, and a welfare system that serves as a genuine safety net for everyone.”