STAFF at the South-West foodbank, located on the Stewartstown Road, have expressed concern after referrals to the service have tripled and nearly quadrupled in the last couple of weeks. 

The organisation has said that the reasons why people are using foodbanks has dramatically changed and that they are dealing with a lot of people who are in employment and who are struggling as a direct result of the rise in inflation and cost of living crisis. 

The South-West Belfast foodbank serves Lagmore, Twinbrook, Poleglass, Lenadoon, Suffolk, Dunmurry, Finaghy, Andersonstown, Falls and part of the Shankill. The organisation has said that a significantly higher proportion of people than average live below the poverty line in South-West Belfast.

Edel Diamond, manager at the South-West Foodbank, spoke of her worry as the cost of living crisis continues to loom and how the organisation will continue to try and reach as many people as possible coming into the winter.

“Foodbanks have been coming to the fore, especially since Covid,” she said.

“We work very closely with our referral agencies, it’s a referral only system. It’s not a walk-in foodbank. People can directly refer to myself or we take referrals through different statutory community, local voluntary agencies as well.”

“We’re not just providing food; this is not how we see ourselves; we’re hoping that our people and our families get the interventions that they need. It’s not a top-up for someone’s groceries during the week, it’s filling a need where there is a financial difficulty or a real struggle.”

The foodbank which opened seven years ago, delivers food parcels three times a week, a delivery model which began at the start of the pandemic. 

“Our volunteers are touching people’s lives. The recipients, our families and our individuals are so grateful and so relived.

“During Covid, everyone was so generous in the community, corporates, businesses, local sports clubs, the finances were generous, the food donations were really generous as well. So we were quite buoyant in a sense. We were able to help our people out with some cash amounts for gas and electricity and that was great.

Cost of living crisis looms as foodbank referrals increase
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Cost of living crisis looms as foodbank referrals increase

“However, Covid restrictions were lifted and the cost of living crisis is looming ever so much. The tariffs are being increased and again after Christmas. We don’t have those finances anymore; we are not as buoyant. We still find people are so generous with their food donations and their finance but it’s not what it used to be. That’s probably because people are feeling the pinch with their fuel, their own energy bills and their own food.

“It is drastic changes, and we are worried and have been worried. We are struggling with the essential items. We are feeling the love from everyone, and I think it will be another time where people pull together.

“I’m just really worried, I’m worried for our people, for our families, our individuals. Covid brought about the practical and logistical issues of people getting out but at the minute the financial issue is for everyone now.

“In the last couple of weeks our referrals have tripled and are nearly quadrupling. Our referrals have increased drastically within the past few weeks all of a sudden. I’ve really felt it. I’ve felt it on the phone, I’ve felt it through the referrals.

“The reasons why people are using foodbanks have dramatically changed, we are dealing with a lot of people who are in employment here. There could be two people working within the household and are struggling. We’re getting people who are in employment and struggling and that is the scary thing.”

The foodbank operates which approximately 50 volunteers who are involved in the preparation, who are volunteer drivers, who sort the food and pick up the permit collection points.

“We really need more volunteer drivers as we are short on volunteer drivers. We are also struggling for the essential items, we would really appreciate any financial help as well for the running costs. We don’t receive any Government funding and we are self-sustaining. We are running off financial donations at the moment.”

“We are so appreciable for what we can get, but we just know that everyone is struggling.”

Priority items include long-life milk, long-life juice, tinned potatoes/dry mash, tinned rice pudding, tinned meat, tinned fish, tinned fruit and pasta sauce. Donations of tinned vegetables, tinned tomatoes, jam, toiletries, sanitary products and household products are also welcome. 

For further information on the service, all information can be found here.