Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood has urged people to support the Cardiff Foodbank in a national competition.
The project, which distributes emergency food packages lasting three days to people in short term crises, is currently leading the Wales section of the Co-Ops ‘Join the Revolution’ initiative. If they finish in top spot at the close of the competition at the end of the month, the Cardiff Foodbank will win a grant of £5,000. This money will be spent on increasing storage space. People can vote as many times as they like through the Co-Op website.
In the meantime, the increasing demand for the services of the Cardiff Foodbank has left it short of key items such as tinned fruit, UHT fruit juice, tinned puddings and noodles. Shoppers can donate food at a series of monthly collections throughout the capital.
Ms Wood, who was recently re-elected to the South Wales Central region, said: “The Cardiff Foodbank is providing an incredibly important service to people in dire need of help.
“It is a national scandal that we still have people unable to afford food in 21st century Wales. Unfortunately, all the evidence suggests that this is a problem that is going to get worse, not better, in the coming years.
“The Foodbank organisation is a voluntary one so exists because of the goodwill of people in giving up their free time and their groceries. The competition prize money of £5,000 will therefore go a long way.
“The organisation will be able to strengthen its provision in the city of Cardiff if successful so I hope as many people as possible will cast their vote before the deadline at the end of the month.”
Ms Wood added: “People can also help the Cardiff Foodbank by donating tinned food at one of their regular supermarket collections. The Cardiff Foodbank has been in touch with my office to say there is a particular shortage of tinned fruit, UHT fruit juice, tinned puddings and noodles.”
