Agapecare Foodbank Spalding has accepted a welcome donation of supplies from Spalding Young Professionals

Spalding's foodbank has warned that it may have to change the way it helps people in need after unprecedented demand this year.

Agapecare Foodbank, based at The Lighthouse Church in Haverfield Road, has seen the number of food parcels it gives it more than double compared to last year.

In the same week that volunteers received a much-needed clients donation of supplies from a group of accountants, estate agents and solicitors based in Spalding, the foodbank confirmed that it had given out 620 food parcels between January and August this year.

This is compared to 560 food parcels, given to clients in exchange for a voucher issued by Citizens Advice South Lincolnshire, JobCentre Plus, housing associations and other so-called referral partners.

Irene Davies, co-ordinator of Agapecare Foodbank Spalding which also has satellite centres in Crowland and Long Sutton, said: "There has been a drop in the number of foodbank parcels given out so far in September when compared to the really heavy demand that we had between January and August.

"We're waiting for all the harvest festival donations to come in and we hope they will come in because our stocks are still very low.

"There was heavy demand throughout August, a month when we usually see the number of food parcels given out tail off, and into the beginning of September.

"Our numbers may have gone down because the children are back at school, but the drop in numbers asking for food parcels this month has helped us conserve our stocks a bit."

Despite this, the number of food parcels (made up of tinned, dried and nutritionally items that are meant to last an individual or family for three days) given out so far in September is 44, compared to 41 for the same month last year.

Irene said: "We've had to buy a lot of food in and if demand continues at the current rate, we'll have to look at the sustainability of the foodbank.

"This could mean making the food parcels smaller, not giving people the variety of things we do now or even limiting the amount of food parcels we give away.

"We wouldn't be able to continue at the rate we're going without donations like the one from Spalding Young Professionals and we welcome anything that comes in."

Ben Louth, chairman of Spalding Young Professionals, said: "We decided to bring forward the donations that are normally given to Agapecare Foodbank before Christmas after Irene told us that it had issued more food parcels to date this year than for the whole of last year.

"The different firms that are represented in our group put out bags and boxes at each of its premises for staff to donate food items.

"Staff at each firm were quite receptive to what we were doing as they deal with clients in the community and they know this is something that we always support."

. Volunteers covering Sutterton Foodbank (part of Boston Foodbank) have not only been responding to rising demand from clients but also supplying lunch boxes to families with children over the summer holidays.

Trevor Baily, project manager for Boston and Sutterton Foodbanks, said: "Demand over the three-month period from July until September has been up by over 30 per cent in comparison to the corresponding period of last year.

"This is reflected in both the number of vouchers honoured and the number of people helped.

"Fortunately, we have also seen an increase in donations over the corresponding period of time.

"However, our stocks are under a bit of pressure due to the increased demand and we have just started collecting donations from harvest festival services held in several schools and churches which should boost our stock levels.

"On another note, our foodbank was also in partnership with an initiative across the parish of Boston to provide lunch boxes for children over the summer holidays."

Seasonal kindness from the Professionals

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