West Lothian Foodbank have warned of a potential crisis, as in recent weeks their stock has been handed out twice as fast as it has been coming in.
The food bank, based in Livingston, are concerned that they will have severe shortages over the coming months unless they can increase local support.
“The increase in demand started around summertime last year,” explained manager Kathleen Neilly. “But then we got a lot of stuff in from schools, and then over December about 20 tonnes of food was donated, which was just amazing.
“Normally you get a lot donated in December and it helps to get the food bank through to summer, but a lot of people are really struggling just now, and because of that, we’re having a hard time keeping up.”
Kathleen estimates that the food bank has seen an increase in demand that is close to 40 per cent from what they would normally expect at this time of year, and attributed the roll-out of Universal Credit as a big contributor.
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“It’s more and more each week that someone’s telling me that they’re having problems with Universal Credit,” she explained.
“They’re having to wait six weeks for a first payment and then their payments are inconsistent.”
Appealing to any would-be donors, Kathleen added: “I always tell my children, a food bank is a bank - you put into it because you might need to take out one day. Most people are only ever one pay cheque away from needing help from a foodbank.”
They are specifically looking for tinned meat, curry sauce, tinned sponge pudding, tinned fruit, tinned rice pudding, instant potato, razors and shaving foam, and diluting juice. They still have large quantities of tinned soup, custard, beans, macaroni, spaghetti, and pasta shapes.
Donations are always greatly appreciated, and people can donate food at any of its distribution centres and at most of the big supermarkets across West Lothian.
For a full list of where food can be donated, visit: https://westlothian.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food.
