A FOOD bank has officially opened in Monmouth.

making it the fourth in the Monmouthshire area.

Thirty people, including Monmouth MP David Davies, AM Nick Ramsay and town mayor Jeana Hall, attended the opening at Monmouth Baptist Church. earlier this month. The initiative, which gives food parcels to those who have no other means of getting food. will be join those branches in Abergavenny and Chepstow.

Monmouth and district food bank volunteers will initially operate one day a week at Monmouth Baptist Church. It means that people in crisis willwould not have to travel to the food banks in Abergavenny, Caldicot or Chepstow.

The food bank, which It is led by the church and involves several community organisations. believes the food bank will help some of Monmouth’s poorest citizens at a time of crisis.

It works by exchanging food vouchers (given to clients by local agencies) for parcels containing dried and tinned foods. which are designed to last three days. It collects donations of food from churches, harvest festivals in schools and volunteers.

Monmouth food bank manager Alan Cochrane said: “We know there is a need in Monmouth because people in crisis have been travelling to the food banks in Abergavenny and Chepstow.” Tony Graham, Foodbank network manager for Wales at the Trussell Trust, which provides training and advice to more than 50 foodbanks across the UK, added:“The council’s social workers in these towns have indicated that there was some need in the Monmouth area.”

“There are still pockets of the town and surrounding area that are clearly poorer areas. Even in the affluent areas people can find themselves in crisis through being made redundant or those living in rural communities on the minimum wage, it can be a combination of factors.”

Dried foods, such as tinned meat and milk powder, Items can be donated to Monmouth Baptist Church, Monmouth Library, the Bridges Community Centre, St Thomas’ Methodist Church and Wyesham Christian Fellowship.

Mr Cochrane praised those individuals and charities, including Monmouth and District Rotary and the Monmouth Charity for their financial support.