Stockton facing lack of food bank volunteers to help

A charity boss has said there is rising demand, including from working people facing growing hardship. He told a council meeting of a need to encourage more people to help as part of efforts to tackle the cost of living.

Jon Carling, chief executive of the charity Catalyst which works with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in Stockton, said: “Volunteers are reducing in numbers over the last year or two. Food bank and pantry donations have been reduced.

Jon Carling, chief executive of charity Catalyst (Image: CATALYST)

“It’s getting harder to recruit volunteers and yet demand is increasing. We would love to see some collective campaign to promote this.

“Let’s donate more food and for volunteers to give more time. It happened during the pandemic and loads of people came forward. We think it’s time for that again now.

“The number of people receiving food from food banks and pantries who are also working will be increasing because affordability has got harder. It’s not just people on benefits. That’s where the rising demand is coming from.”

Councillor Barry Woodhouse, Stockton Councillor for Billingham Central ward (Image: LDR)

Clare Branson, project coordinator at the Stockton Food Power Network, said their 58 organisations included five food banks for crisis support, 11 community pantries, an eco-shop and three Bread and Butter Thing food hubs.

The pantries had about 3,600 visitors per month, food banks 1,660, in the past year. In September 1,180 people including 417 children were helped with parcels.

She said Trussell Trust food banks had a 30 per cent increase in new clients but a 50 per cent reduction in donations.

She told the Stockton Council people select committee meeting: “We’re seeing demand increasing in both pantries and food banks.”

Mr Carling added: “People haven’t got the money to spend on food to give to somebody else. Supermarkets are not making surplus food available in the way they used to be. They’re putting more yellow labels on it and selling it through the shops.”

A food bank in Stockton (Image: LDR)

Councillor Barry Woodhouse said: “It’s an absolute disgrace that in 2023 people have to rely on food banks and pantries for support. How many young people are being supported now by their parents and grandparents because they can’t afford to eat themselves?

“Parents and grandparents sometimes go without to feed grown-up children. It’s a crying shame that in this time we’re having to see reports like this. I’m quite emotional about it because I know some people who do rely on this.

“I would like to thank every single volunteer and every single person who works in food banks and provides these services for the community. Without them I think we’d see absolute catastrophe.”

Ms Branson said: “You wish these things didn’t have to exist but they do. We do the best with what we have.”

Mr Carling added: “Last year we received and distributed to colleagues in the voluntary sector something like £1.2m of funding from different sources. It’s mainly about bringing organisations together to support each other and achieve things they wouldn’t necessarily be able to achieve separately.

“There are thousands of volunteers in Stockton, giving their time for nothing. You’re talking about millions of pounds of economic value to the economy for free.

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“Cost of living is a significant priority for partners in Stockton and it continues to be that. It’s not a cost of living crisis, it’s not something which has happened and will go away again, this is a problem and it feels pretty set in.

“I think we are good at collaboration. We’re very grassroots, we’re very agile, we can identify gaps, we can respond quickly and very creatively.”

He said Catalyst got £500,000 over three years from the National Lottery. He told of their work helping people with social activities in Thornaby, school holiday activities and a volunteer driver scheme to start picking people up from their homes next year.