Stockport Foodbank Prepares for Surge in Demand This Summer

As families in Stockport brace for the long school summer holidays, the Stockport Foodbank is gearing up for a significant increase in demand for food support. With the end of term and the cessation of free school meals, many families will face the challenge of providing additional meals each week. The ongoing cost of living crisis has left some with no option but to rely on charitable assistance.

At the Hazel Grove Baptist Church, one of the seven centres operated by Stockport Foodbank, a steady stream of clients arrive in the morning hours. They present their vouchers, settle in with a cup of tea or coffee, and patiently await their food parcels. Each package is designed to provide three days’ worth of nutritionally balanced meals, tailored to the household’s size. These packages typically contain essential items such as cereals, tinned meats, and vegetables. Any surplus food is placed back into a swap box for others to benefit.

Among those waiting is Kathleen Newman, a 57-year-old resident of Hazel Grove. Having been unemployed for four months after a career in IT, she notes that the foodbank has made a “big difference” in her life. “I get £950 from unemployment, and then I have to pay for my phone on top of that,” she explained. “I can’t afford to pay bills at all. Most of my unemployment goes to rent. I have maybe £50 at the end of that for food. It’s just me, three cats, and two birds – and I have to sell things just to feed my cats.”

Nearby, Kyle Topping, aged 38, waits with a friend who prefers to remain unnamed. They have typically relied on other independent centres across Stockport but faced difficulties with voucher issues that required them to travel further. “It just helps out,” he remarked succinctly regarding the foodbank’s services.

Since the pandemic, food support demand has remained notably high. Nigel, a representative from the foodbank, observed that demand spiked during COVID-19. “We never closed during Covid; we found a way of operating through the open door at the front, and people came and they just literally took away pre-packed bags, so there was no contact,” he recalled. Following the pandemic, the cost of living crisis led to an uptick in need. While demand has plateaued somewhat, it has not returned to pre-COVID levels. “People get hit with all sorts of different needs, in terms of gas bills or something wrong with the washer or whatever it might be,” Nigel added.

The foodbank, operated by the anti-poverty charity The Trussel Trust, now supports up to 2,000 people a month. Referrals come through a network of over 300 local partners, including schools, GPs, and housing associations. “These are the people who are at the sharp end of seeing those in need,” Nigel noted.

As summer approaches, the foodbank anticipates a 50 per cent increase in demand as families struggle to fill the void left by free school meals. To address this, Stockport Foodbank will implement a five-week Holiday Help scheme, allowing local primary schools to issue weekly foodbank vouchers to families identified as most at risk. “They will not be left alone because they’re not getting school meals,” Nigel assured. “Between the council and us, we’re making sure that people don’t go without.”

The foodbank’s ability to meet this rising demand largely depends on public donations, with the supermarket Tesco playing a crucial role. Through its Stronger Starts programme, shoppers can purchase pre-filled donation bags or deposit goods into permanent donation bins at various locations. At Tesco Handforth Dean, Gilda Preziosi, Operations Coordinator at the foodbank, and her team of volunteers routinely transfer trolley-loads of donated food into baskets for transportation back to the warehouse.

Paolina Saulino, Tesco Handforth Dean’s Community Champion, highlighted the significant contribution of local shoppers. “The store’s permanent collection bins have to be emptied every day – we collect up to four large trolleys’ worth of food each week,” she stated. Tesco also enhances donations with a financial contribution of 30 percent. “I have a daughter, and if I were in that position and needed a food bank, even if it’s just one tin, it’s a massive help,” she added.

Nigel expressed gratitude for the partnership with Tesco, describing it as essential for the foodbank’s operations. “We are constantly overwhelmed by the support that we get from Tesco. They’re our biggest donor, and they get behind us 100%,” he said. “When food comes in from this collection, we can breathe a little easier and say we’ve got stocks now to last us a couple of weeks.”

The experience is personal for Nigel, who shared that he relied on food parcels himself in the 1980s during a difficult period. “When you’ve gone through that sort of history yourself, you recognize that there’s nothing more important than making sure that somebody can have at least something to eat,” he reflected. “There wasn’t a week that went by where we didn’t have a food parcel arrive on our porch from where I don’t know. It just mysteriously arrived. And that was the difference in a lot of weeks between actually eating and not.”

Behind every food parcel are 180 volunteers who dedicate their time each week. Pat Slinn, 82, volunteers at the Hazel Grove centre every Friday. “It’s very fulfilling. It’s a pleasure to help people who have fallen on hard times,” he said. “You feel very privileged. Obviously, some of the children that come in cannot understand what’s going on.”

For Nigel, the most important aspect of their work is the connection made with clients. “They come with half a smile on their face, but they leave with a great big smile on their face,” he concluded. “They’re always appreciative of what we do for them, and that’s the key – to see the happiness in them and that lift in their spirits.”