Families turn to foodbank in hard times

10:07am Monday 10th December 2012 in News

The foodbank team with donated items. The foodbank team with donated items.

STRUGGLING families have started receiving help from a new foodbank, launched ahead of Christmas.

The supply of free groceries, set up by a partnership of local organisations, is in response to the growing numbers of people enduring severe financial hardship during bleak economic times.

It provides nutritionally-balanced food packs to last at least three days.
Local churches, community groups and organisations collected more than three tonnes of food ahead of the launch.

Vouchers are issued by frontline care providers to people affected by issues including debt, homelessness and unemployment.

Angela Metcalfe, project director at the Hope Centre, said: “Traditionally, foodbanks have been seen as a last resort for people in desperate situations but increased levels of redundancy and other financial issues linked to the current economy mean that the demand is becoming more widespread.

“Sadly, research has shown that one in 10 people in the North West have been forced to skip a meal, go without food or rely on family and friends for food in the last 12 months.”
Organisations involved include the Hope Centre, St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau, Helena Partnerships and a number of churches.

Produce is being stored at a Helena-owned venue in Eccleston.

Tesco St Helens also provided hundreds of cans and other dried foods to boost supplies following its ‘Help Feed People In Need’ campaign, which asked customers to purchase a few extra items as part of their weekly shop.

Councillor Sue Murphy, public health portfolio holder at St Helens Council, said: “This foodbank will be vital for many people in St Helens who are facing hard times due to recent Government cuts.

“We have got to be there to help and support these families and the foodbank will help us to do this.”

All recipients are referred to the foodbank by St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau, Helena Partnerships, Job Centre Plus, Housing Advice Centre or Hope House, with food packs collected from Hall Street Baptist Church and St Helens Christian Life Centre.

For more information, please contact Beryl Barton on 01744 26414 or email info@sthelens.foodbank.org.uk.

Comments(35)

ollie70 says...
4:58pm Mon 10 Dec 12

Providing those who really need and deserve this help get it, it is a great initiative, especially when considering kids at this time of year. However, it surprises me in this day and age that people need to skip meals and rely on friends/family for meals. When i was unemployed for several years, I never borrowed a penny, though i didnt smoke, gamble, rarely drank, shopped wisely, and didnt live beyond my means generally...

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sherlock1 says...
5:02pm Mon 10 Dec 12

It's a dissgrace in this day and age that people have to rely on foodbanks to help feed their familys but of course we are all in this together arn't we?

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annie1275 says...
6:14pm Mon 10 Dec 12

It is a disgrace in this day and age.All the cuts being made by this government,people not getting pay rises for years on end,and cost of everything going through the roof..But they still use taxpayers money for foreign aid.

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anthonywilson says...
10:58pm Mon 10 Dec 12

Its disgusting that people are in this position where they are having to rely on a foodbank. There's no way were all in this together. David Cameron and George Osborne won't ever be using one.

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chasmcn says...
8:03am Tue 11 Dec 12

anthonywilson wrote:
Its disgusting that people are in this position where they are having to rely on a foodbank. There's no way were all in this together. David Cameron and George Osborne won't ever be using one.
According to Osborne this is your fault that you don't have a job he stigmatises people who are receipt of benefits as lazy when 60% are in poor paid jobs were the state as to top their wages with tax credits and housing benefit which goes into rich peoples pockets .

His 1% cap on benefits hits the poorest in society mainly part time workers as a full time job is as rare as rocking horse s--t ,but he has looked after his own next April a millionaire will receive a extra £107,000 which is laughable as most of them avoid paying tax

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pitbullboxing says...
8:46am Tue 11 Dec 12

This is tragic. However if a Labour government had been in it would still be the same. Milliband has already said he wont reverse any of these cuts AND might cut deeper. So we need another party clearly.New Labour created many tax loopholes or failed to close loopholes that the super rich used to their advantage. It was the people in the middle that were hit again - nearly 200 stealth tax rises Gordon hit the people with whilst the rich were still getting away with it. So to whom do we turn?

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pitbullboxing says...
8:48am Tue 11 Dec 12

and also Chas there are lots of rich people that pay lots of tax. Also you have to be careful when hitting the rich - the 50p tax rate cost 7 billion rather than saved it as many of them moved abroad , and that doesn't benefit us does it?

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jumper says...
11:36am Tue 11 Dec 12

We had food banks when the strike was on in 1970. Lovely country we are all in it together,what are we in together?

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smith&weston says...
12:31pm Tue 11 Dec 12

I would like to know exactly what percentage of the population of St Helens is using these food banks. I ask because as it stands at present, it is impossible to find a parking space on either of the two retail parks in the town centre from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week.The shops are full of queues and money seems to be no object. A look around the town centres drinking dens tonight, for example, will show most places busy and as for the weekend, police arrests figures paint a very accurate picture of just what people have to spend on getting it down their necks. There's poor and there's POOR.... I don't think for one minute that St Helens has reached the POOR level in all but a few cases.

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Persiil says...
1:06pm Tue 11 Dec 12

smith&weston wrote:
I would like to know exactly what percentage of the population of St Helens is using these food banks. I ask because as it stands at present, it is impossible to find a parking space on either of the two retail parks in the town centre from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week.The shops are full of queues and money seems to be no object. A look around the town centres drinking dens tonight, for example, will show most places busy and as for the weekend, police arrests figures paint a very accurate picture of just what people have to spend on getting it down their necks. There's poor and there's POOR.... I don't think for one minute that St Helens has reached the POOR level in all but a few cases.
I agree with this. People are more busy buying drugs or getting drunk than thinking about saving their money. I dont know what some of these people are going to do when Welfare Reform kicks in and they can't/won't pay the extra.

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keepitreel says...
6:23pm Tue 11 Dec 12

its a wonder these people have to go to these food banks lets face it after they have paid for the sky tv,the 200 fags and the weekly booze supply there is little left from the free hand out to buy food for the kids,some of these poor people have even had to resort to having only one car now and only one holiday in the sun,my heart weeps for them.

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Speedysf says...
8:26pm Tue 11 Dec 12

As a resident of this great town, I am so pleased we have a food bank. A basic human need is food and regardless on why our fellow residents have no food or limited access to food is quite sad. I will be keeping an eye open from now on and when asked to donate some items of food, I will with great pleasure. We are once community helping each other.

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chasmcn says...
8:47pm Tue 11 Dec 12

keepitreel wrote:
its a wonder these people have to go to these food banks lets face it after they have paid for the sky tv,the 200 fags and the weekly booze supply there is little left from the free hand out to buy food for the kids,some of these poor people have even had to resort to having only one car now and only one holiday in the sun,my heart weeps for them.
So everyone on benefits have sky tv ,smoke and drink i see the torys plan of demonising benefit claimants as worked on you . Just carry on reading the Daily Mail .

Why dont you criticise the employer who pays low wages so we the tax payer as to pay them tax credits so they can live why should my taxes go to subsides his business

why don't you criticise private landlords who charge extortionate rents,which has pushed up the welfare bill

you chose to stigmaiste honest working people who though no fault of their own have loss their jobs or thou ill heath are disable and unable to work. Me i am glad my taxes go to help those less fortunate then me because one day it could be me .

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chasmcn says...
8:51pm Tue 11 Dec 12

Speedysf wrote:
As a resident of this great town, I am so pleased we have a food bank. A basic human need is food and regardless on why our fellow residents have no food or limited access to food is quite sad. I will be keeping an eye open from now on and when asked to donate some items of food, I will with great pleasure. We are once community helping each other.
Totally agree my mother went out of her way to donate she is a pensioner not getting a lot of money but is glad to give a little to help those in need .

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smith&weston says...
10:33pm Tue 11 Dec 12

The Daily Mail doesn't have to demonise them, nor do the Tories. They do a good enough job on their own....'A benefit cheat who claimed she couldn't walk unaided was caught on camera playing a round of golf.
Roberta Packman, 58, had said she was in continuous pain and claimed more than £38,000 in state handouts.
But investigators from the Department for Work and Pensions followed her to Stony Holme Golf Club in Carlise, Cumbria where she was filmed playing a full 18 holes with ease.
Packman, from Cumrew, near Penrith, was jailed for 28 weeks at Carlisle Crown Court.


Read more: http://www.dailymail
.co.uk/news/article-
2246343/Jailed-Benef
it-cheat-Roberta-Pac
kman-unable-walk-cau
ght-playing-golf-cla
iming-38-000.html#ix
zz2Eml0GoAy
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook'

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pitbullboxing says...
10:45pm Tue 11 Dec 12

You can tell a Labour supporter a mile off - they make no mention when told that the same cuts would have been made by Milliband and that he says he WILL NOT REVERSE any of the cuts made. Also they all have a nervous tick that blurts out "daily mail" at every opportunity if you have an opinion they don't like - but if you were to stigmatise people like that you would be a racist or a bigot and every other thing under the sun. When I see those words I just think "grow up and come back when you have thought of a retort of your own".

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pitbullboxing says...
10:48pm Tue 11 Dec 12

I also have donated to the food banks at Tesco Widnes and Prescot many times over the course of this year. That's how I believe charity should be - of your own accord - rather than 157 stealth taxes being robbed of you.

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Persiil says...
10:55pm Tue 11 Dec 12

So I doubt any of the people all for the food bank have watched the documentary on BBC about them? In order to qualify for the food bank tokens, you must not have any of the luxuries shown on the programme. I wonder how many of the people claiming free food smoke cigarettes? They could save so much money. You must genuinely need help. I'm not convinced this food is going to go to those who truly need it.

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jumper says...
8:59am Wed 12 Dec 12

You got read all of the daily mail

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jumper says...
12:33pm Wed 12 Dec 12

If you get frustrated pitbull get on the daily mail blogs, now their are some crackers

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Sankey says...
1:03pm Wed 12 Dec 12

remind me again who was the political party who brought britain to the brink of ruin and caused this situation. And would labour not also be cutting at more or less the same rate? Small bit of good news employment is now starting to go up albeit slowing but it was always going to take many years to recover from the mess balls, brown and milliband caused. But was disasterous news for labour the last thing they want is for things to get better

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jumper says...
2:54pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Which brink?they was getting better.

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jumper says...
3:50pm Wed 12 Dec 12

S&W give us your base line for poor please.

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keepitreel says...
6:40pm Wed 12 Dec 12

so chasmcn what your saying is everyone who uses this food bank has had a home visit to see if they have a big flat screen tv,sky package,they smoke and drink and have the use of a car or take nice holidays in the sun,do you remeber the days when you had priorites,now it seems those without an income they have worked for expect to have every luxury know BUT then expect someone to feed the kids,if someone is in dire need and hasnt got the frills that take all their money give them the free food those that choose to live a lifestyle they cant afford then sorry do without the luxrys and buy your own food.

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chasmcn says...
10:14pm Wed 12 Dec 12

keepitreel wrote:
so chasmcn what your saying is everyone who uses this food bank has had a home visit to see if they have a big flat screen tv,sky package,they smoke and drink and have the use of a car or take nice holidays in the sun,do you remeber the days when you had priorites,now it seems those without an income they have worked for expect to have every luxury know BUT then expect someone to feed the kids,if someone is in dire need and hasnt got the frills that take all their money give them the free food those that choose to live a lifestyle they cant afford then sorry do without the luxrys and buy your own food.
i thought the food banks provided food for people who are not receiving any benefits eg when coming off jobseeker allowence to income support which takes the DWP a couple of weeks to process so they are with out money ,but i disagree with your view that everyone in receipt of benefits is milking the system by tarring the majority with what a minority do

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chasmcn says...
10:21pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Sankey wrote:
remind me again who was the political party who brought britain to the brink of ruin and caused this situation. And would labour not also be cutting at more or less the same rate? Small bit of good news employment is now starting to go up albeit slowing but it was always going to take many years to recover from the mess balls, brown and milliband caused. But was disasterous news for labour the last thing they want is for things to get better
Funny its the fault of Europe ,bad weather ,queens jubilee ,the Olympics ,long bank holidays that there's no growth in the economy .but a world wide slump and its Labours fault i didn't realise Labour were voted in the world over .

Good to see jobs going up i will wait for February figures before i get the bunting out ,only last week Osbornes OBR were forecasting a rise in unemployment in 2013

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Sankey says...
10:44am Thu 13 Dec 12

chas looking forward to seeing labour in power again so we can resume the spending based on borrowing.

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pitbullboxing says...
11:14am Thu 13 Dec 12

Daily mail daily mail daily mail. Bankers.

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jumper says...
12:17pm Thu 13 Dec 12

Try it, the more the merrier

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Persiil says...
1:11pm Thu 13 Dec 12

keepitreel wrote:
so chasmcn what your saying is everyone who uses this food bank has had a home visit to see if they have a big flat screen tv,sky package,they smoke and drink and have the use of a car or take nice holidays in the sun,do you remeber the days when you had priorites,now it seems those without an income they have worked for expect to have every luxury know BUT then expect someone to feed the kids,if someone is in dire need and hasnt got the frills that take all their money give them the free food those that choose to live a lifestyle they cant afford then sorry do without the luxrys and buy your own food.
Completely agree.

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pitbullboxing says...
5:44pm Thu 13 Dec 12

bankers daily mail.

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jumper says...
5:39pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Be better than starving to death why the selfish people count the money.it can happen to anybody just don't for get that.

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pitbullboxing says...
9:39pm Fri 14 Dec 12

jumper wrote:
Be better than starving to death why the selfish people count the money.it can happen to anybody just don't for get that.
Agreed. What I'm saying is - no matter what party are in power this would be the same situation. If New Liebour had taxed the rich properly in the first place we wouldn't be in a position to need any cuts.

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jumper says...
10:38pm Sat 15 Dec 12

Pitbull get on the mail you will love it.the point of the other remarks is was drum in to us to help others as I have been told and seen it happen you don't know what is round the corner .

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frankly says...
5:33pm Sun 16 Dec 12

39/45 when i was a lad and we had a war on, we didnt use a foodbank..WHY ? Because their wasnt any, but we still lived

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