A READING food surplus project has reported a marked increase in service users over the past 12 months.
Whitley Community Development Association (WCDA) saw 1,840 people use its food bank in May this year, compared to around 900 in May 2021.
Volunteers collect food from its partners M&S, Morrisons, Aldi, Co-op, Brakes and Greggs for visitors to pick up five days a week.
Community development worker Maria Cox, said: “The difference a year has made is eye-opening.
“We have people who are out of work who access the service, but also families that do work who come to us and who have never asked for help before.
“And you only need to look at the cost of electricity, gas and food to understand the reason for the huge increase in project users.
“The reality of the cost of living crisis has hit home for everybody.”
Ms Cox added that there has been a particular demand for fruit and vegetables.
She said: “That’s what people want, the fruit and the veg. The government tells us it’s what we need to be eating, but it’s also expensive.
“It’s cheaper to go out and buy a bag of chips, beans and sausages for your children.”
In June 2021, Select Car Leasing donated a Citroen Berlingo van, which the group now uses to make food collections.
According to Ms Cox, the gift has been vital for the continued success of the project.
Volunteers previously had to use their own cars to pick up the food. The van allows them to collect all food items at 8.30am, ready to be collected by service users at 10am each day.
Supplies are collected from the Community Cafe on Northumberland Avenue, which is a focal point for residents to meet friends over healthy meals at affordable prices.
The WCDA collaborates with advice charities such as CommuniCare and Launchpad, who help visitors navigate welfare and housing issues respectively.
In addition, the group organises free activities throughout the year, with four weeks of children’s workshops planned for this coming August.
Challenging circumstances have brought out the best of the community, with more people volunteering at the WCDA than ever before.
“We regularly have people coming to see us and asking to volunteer,” Ms Cox explained.
“We often have a surplus of volunteers. And as more projects come along, more volunteers come along.
“For me, it highlights what this area is all about. Whitley’s community is amazing.
“The amount of bad press that Whitley gets, I just don’t understand it, because the community here is incredible. We’re trying our best to change Whitley’s reputation for the better.
“We helped the community during the Covid-19 lockdown – now the volunteers we have are the ones who benefited and are now paying it back to say, ‘thank you’.”
The WCDA won the charity of the year award at the 2021 Pride of Reading Awards.
