Soaring bills amid a cost-of-living crisis has led a food bank that is in 'desperate need of help' to beg local businesses for donations. The Food for Families Penzance Community Interest Company (CIC) is a non-profit organisation that works to reduce food poverty by helping the most vulnerable in society.
The food bank is struggling to cover running costs in the face of massive rent and electricity bills. Founder Julie Tucker started the Food for Families food bank in 2018.
After realising people were struggling to buy food, she started making food parcels from a spare room in her home. As reported by CornwallLive, Julie's first client was a homeless 17-year-old, who at the time was being supported by YMCA Cornwall.
Since then, Julia has moved her organisation to an office space in Penzance and has worked tirelessly to help local families in need and provide support to those hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis. But the future of Food for Families is at risk as the funds it receives are not enough to keep it going, which has come at a time when more people are turning to it the most.
Julia told CornwallLive: "We are a heck of a lifeline. We have over 80 clients a month and it's been going up since October. We handed out 25 per cent more emergency food parcels in 2021 [than 2020], 75 per cent more in 2022, and 2023 we are busier than ever. It's so sad, West Penwith seems to be forgotten about.
"We have such a rapport with our clients and that will be lost. We get to know their stories, I had a lady at Christmas, she lives in a caravan and she had taken on her grandchildren - four of them. She told her grandchildren that she couldn't have a Christmas because she couldn't afford a box of chocolate. All her money was going towards the rented caravan.
"She said if it weren't for us, she didn't know what she'd do." Food for Families works towards reducing food poverty in Penzance and the surrounding areas of West Penwith.
Having already opened a Best Before Store, Julia also wants to open up part of her office space as a community larder, where people can come help themselves and have a warm and safe place to have a cup of coffee, a bit of cake and a chat. However, Julia and her team will no longer be able to offer their services without the help from local businesses.
She said: "We need £800 a month and that's just the rent and the electricity. We really want 38 local businesses to come forward at £20 a month because we need a sustainable income. We are begging for people to help. We do loads of fundraising and it's whether to get the funds or not.
"Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. We do a lot of events and it's just not bringing in enough money for us to keep the building up and running. And for us to stay open, we need this building."
For information about donating, you can contact Food for Families on 07925298587 or email foodforfamilliescic@gmail.com.
