Newport food bank sees rise in users as bills soar

It comes as the average household energy bill could rise by as much as £700 after the energy price cap rose by 54 per cent today, April 1.

What’s more, bills could rise once again in October, which could push the annual household spend on power over the £2,000 mark.

Feed Newport, which helps some of the city’s most vulnerable with meals and food parcels, says demand for the service is on the rise.

Feed Newport Manager Gem Walker.

“It’s definitely got a lot busier in here,” manager Gem Walker told the Argus.

“We’ve seen a massive rise with working families needing to use the service and it’s not surprising when we’re seeing things like petrol prices going up for everyone.

“It’s the middle section of the month where we’re finding that people are really struggling.

“We had about 20 to 25 food bank referrals in one day.”

And Ms Walker is fully aware that demand could increase in the coming months.

“We definitely think it’s going to get busier,” she added.

The Feed Newport pantry.

“Especially as restrictions have been lifted and more people will be out and about – they’ll hear about us and the service we offer.”

The scale of just how many people are struggling is reflected in how many public food donations the foodbank has received recently.

“We haven’t had a public donation since January,” Ms Walker admits.

“Everybody is struggling – ourselves included – but public donations are a really big part of what we do at Feed Newport.

“I’ve actually stopped myself from putting a post out on social media calling for donations because I know how hard these cost of living rises are hitting people.

“People are choosing between heating and eating and it’s having a knock on effect everywhere.

The typical amount of food in a food parcel.

“We’ve seen so many different people from all walks of life come through our doors recently.”

And for individuals and families that are struggling, Ms Walker advised them not to suffer in silence.

“If you are finding it difficult contact the council or citizens advice who can point you in the right direction of help,” she said.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help and people can even phone us.

“We’re not judgemental and we’ll do all that we can to try and help as many people through this difficult time.”

Set up by Tariq Khan in February 2020, Feed Newport came close closing at the beginning of the pandemic because it was struggling to pay the rent for its premises.

Thankfully, Welsh football star Aaron Ramsey stepped in to rescue the charity, providing enough money to cover the rent of its hub for a year.