WEST Belfast based food bank, Foodstock, have been assisting families facing financial hardship as schools return with the offer of school uniforms and school supplies.
 
Explaining the work that they have been doing, Foodstock’s Paul Doherty said that they have had an excellent response from the community.
 
“For the last number of months we have been running a school uniform appeal. People if they can, could donate preloved school uniforms and we were redistributing those to families who were struggling," he said. "From that we have seen a fantastic response and people have really gone out of their way to help others.
 
“We have seen a large amount of uniforms coming our way and we had donation hubs at Holy Trinity Youth Centre in Turf Lodge and the Lagmore Youth Project. That has allowed us to widen the scope for the amount of schools in West Belfast that we have catered for, which has been fantastic.
 
“This has been a direct response to the difficulties that we are seeing families experience throughout West Belfast. A lot of families are struggling with the cost of school uniforms and many families are being left in real hardship and debt as a result.”
 
Paul said that they are seeing on a day and daily basis that people are coming to them and asking for help and support with school uniforms. From that, they have been able to look and see other ways that they can help those parents and one of the ways was availing of stationery packs with the help of shopkeeper Charlie McGlinchey.
 
“We have been able to get these out to parents throughout this week. We have tables at the front of our hub on the Andytown Road where people can come and avail of stationery packs, school supplies and school bags as well as coming in and availing of different items of uniform.

“The most expensive items are definitely school blazers and we have a large rack of them there. We have different jumpers and uniforms for a range of schools from Dunmurry to the lower Falls.
 
“It has been great to be able to help so many people but it really highlights the difficulties being faced by families in the last while.”
 
Families who are in need can call to the Foodstock hub which is now open seven days a week.
 
“We are open every day. The sad reality is that when we opened Foodstock, we were only open once or twice a week but because of the demand in terms of our team having to go out and respond to the poverty in the area and families isolating with Covid, we have had to open seven days a week to facilitate anyone who needs uniforms and school supplies,” Paul continued.
 
“We have seen people being quite distressed coming up to this week. There is a huge financial burden and people find it difficult meeting the cost of these uniforms and other school equipment.
 
“If you look at primary school, I think the current grant is around £35 and the secondary school grant is around £75. The price of a school blazer can come in at £100 or more.
 
“We are happy to help and the community has really come together to offer their support. Already this week we have seen people go out and buy additional packs, school bags and so on to donate and help other families in the area.”