Over 7,500 adults and children in Cardiff received emergency food parcels from the Lord Mayor’s Charity, Cardiff Foodbank, in 2013.
In 2014, this number is expected to rise to over 9,000. In response to this rapid rise in demand, Cardiff Foodbank has opened its fifth Food Distribution Centre at St Saviour’s Church in Splott.
Over 90 agencies across the city are able to support individuals and families who are experiencing short-term crises by issuing a Cardiff Foodbank Voucher. This voucher can then be redeemed at one of five centres across the city, where clients will receive enough food to last three to five days.
The new centre in Splott will be the first Trussell Trust Foodbank in Wales to offer evening opening hours, specifically aimed at those in full-time employment or education.
Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Derrick Morgan, said: “I have been delighted to support the work of my nominated charity Cardiff Foodbank. It has given me the opportunity to share my determination to work with organisations like Cardiff Foodbank, which help support individuals and families who are suffering short term periods of crisis.
“In a climate of worsening poverty and rising homelessness, Foodbanks and their network of support services are becoming ever more necessary. The opening of a fifth centre in Cardiff, whilst a sad indictment of increasing levels of poverty, will enable people in the south-east of the city to access vital support.”
Father Dean Atkins, Parish Priest of St German with St Saviour, said: ”We have been collecting food and donating it to Cardiff Foodbank for sometime, and we are delighted to partner with them in a new and exciting way. It is clear that there is a need for this kind of support in the local community and I believe the Church has a responsibility to try and meet that need.”
Donations to Cardiff Foodbank can be made at a number of Cardiff libraries and council buildings across the city and food donations are now well on their way to reaching one tonne in weight.
