Foyle Foodbank appeals for donations as stock is depleting

The board of the local foodbank said their food stocks ‘are being depleted at a rate far in excess of anything we have experienced before’.

They urged people to continue to donate at collections stations in Sainsbury’s Meadowbank and Tesco, Strand Road, as almost 90 per cent of the food they distribute comes from donations from shoppers in these stores.

Foyle Foodbank has also urged people to use their service only if they are in genuine need.

“Foyle Foodbank exists to supply food to those who do not have the money to buy food and are in a financial crisis situation resulting in food poverty for themselves and their family members.  

“We fully understand the various present reasons, for example loss of job and low or no income, that are suddenly creating the very heavy demand placed on the food bank.”

The board said that Foodbank volunteers are ‘making a tremendous effort in a very demanding, challenging and stressful situation’ and urged service users to .  ‘respect them and understand they are doing their outmost to identify, and meet the demands of clients who genuinely need food’.

They added: “We have always had strong management diligence and controls in place to guard against the abuse of the food stocks so generously donated to us. However, our voucher system and walk-in systems and the caring attitude of our staff can be abused by opportunists, particularly when our normal

controls are under pressure. We want to guard against that as best we can in order to protect our stock levels and make sure our food gets to those who genuinely need it.

“Therefore we earnestly appeal to people not to abuse the generosity of the people of the North West who donate our food, or indeed the ethos of the Food Bank.  If you have the financial means to buy food you should do just that; if you have ready access to food you are not in food crisis at this time.”