Rugby foodbank delivers thousands of food parcels in six months

The Foodbank helps to deliver emergency food and support to people in crisis in the UK.

Rugby’s branch of the charity, which has been running since March 2012, has delivered 1605 three day emergency food supplies to local people from April to September this year. Of the 1605 emergency parcels, 563 went to children.

Warwickshire as whole distributed 5,857 emergency food parcels.

The charity is part of the Trussell Trust food network and the Trust has now proposed that a new hotline between food banks and local job centres be created after finding that more than half a million food parcels were delivered in the first six months of the year.

The phone line would provide quicker support to those in need or in a crisis.

Diana Mansell, Rugby Foodbank manager said: “Anybody could find themselves in need of the foodbank. It really is only with the community’s support that we’re able to provide vital emergency help when it most matters, and we’re constantly surprised and overwhelmed by local people’s generosity. Thank you so much to everyone in Rugby who already donates time, food and money to help local people.”

This Christmas the Rugby branch will be distributing more than 200 hampers and to put the hampers together the charity are appealing for Christmas-themed donations such as chocolates and cakes. The donation station will be at Tesco on Leicester Road from December 1 to December 3.