The Vale Community Centre Food Bank (part of the Craven Vale Community Association in East Brighton) is facing a hugely increased demand for emergency food as a result of the poverty being caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

We used to provide top-up food for around 25 families who were on benefits, we are now trying to provide a full week’s supply of food to around three times that number of families, many of whom have very little or no income at all at the moment; at a time when it is much harder to obtain food.

To prevent people in our community going hungry we are having to purchase additional food every week.

We have no ongoing funding for the Food Bank apart from the 50p voluntary donation that users make for their food; and the supplies we get from FareShare, which whilst excellent, can not meet all our community's food needs in this crisis.  

In the last weeks we have spent on average about £800 more each week to obtain the food needed for the Food Bank; our reserves will soon be completely spent. We need more money if we are going to continue supplying people in food poverty in our community with the food they desperately .

Sim Elliott (voluntary administrative assistant to the Vale Community Centre Food Bank (Craven Vale Community Association)