When volunteers at Worcester Foodbank opened its doors for the first time they never imagined it would grow to the scale it has ten years later.
This week marks a decade since the charity handed out its first emergency food parcel and in that time it has provided more than 800,000 meals to people in crisis across the city.
The number of people fed by foodbank has risen sharply from 2,850 in the first full year to more than 11,600 in the last 12 months alone – with the impact of the pandemic and soaring cost of living accelerating the increase in households needing its support.
Low income remains the biggest cause of referrals to the charity ahead of delays and difficulties stemming from the payment of benefits and other causes including debt, domestic violence, delayed wages and homelessness.
The charity is set to mark the anniversary with a special event to applaud the efforts of volunteers next week but the evening will evoke mixed emotions for everyone involved.
Grahame Lucas, Worcester Foodbank Manager, said:
“It’s a bittersweet moment for all of us. Amid the despair and frustration of seeing so many people struggling, we also feel enormous gratitude for the compassion and generosity of our volunteers and the wider community that has supported us from day one.”
“Our mission has always been to ensure we reach a point where we are no longer needed and can close our doors but right now that has never felt further from our grasp.”
The seed for the city’s foodbank was planted by founder volunteer Ann-Marie Ison with the support of the charity’s Trustees from All Saints Church in Worcester.
Foodbank spent the first four years operating from premises on Carden Close but rising demand for emergency food meant volunteers had to search for a bigger home.
Since 2016 it has operated from a much larger warehouse in Lowesmoor where the charity now regularly feeds around 1,000 people every month – more than a third of which are children.
Only the unwavering support of the local community has enabled the charity to keep pace with demand, with foodbank having received 723 tonnes of donated supplies since first opening.