A FIFTH food distribution centre will open in St Helens on Monday (April 24).
The foodbank, to be located at Seneley Green Community Centre in Billinge Road, is part of The Trussell Trust foodbank network.
It will provide people in crisis with emergency food and support.
Everyone who comes to the foodbank is referred by a frontline professional, such as a health visitor, and receives a nutritionally balanced three-day emergency food supply, containing items such as tinned fish, UHT milk and tinned vegetables. In 2015-16, 6,374 people were supported in the town.
Janice Macleod, foodbank team leader, said: "Anyone can be hit by a crisis and find themselves in need of a foodbank - it only takes something unexpected, like illness, redundancy or the boiler breaking, for a family on a low income to be unable to afford food.
"We've been overwhelmed by the support we've received locally so far - the foodbank really is run by the community for the community."
The foodbank will run between 11.30am and 2pm on Mondays. Anyone interested in volunteering at, or donating to, the foodbank can visit sthelens.foodbank.org.uk.
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