Callington Foodbank has officially marked ten years of service to the local community this month.

In ten years the foodbank has issued 3,455 vouchers, and helped 5,594 adults and 3,561 children and has collected 95-and-a-quarter tons of food and other household items.

Affiliated with the Trussell Trust, the foodbank primarily helps people on low income and low credit. The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of over 1,300 foodbanks and has seen year-on-year increases in the numbers of emergency food parcels distributed to people living in crisis. Typically, when signing up for Universial Credit there is a five-week wait for the first payment, so often people rely on the foodbank in the interim.

Last week, Sheryll Murray, Conservative MP for South East Cornwall, attended a service to mark the tenth anniversary of Callington’s foodbank. She said: ‘I remember formally opening the charity and have collected with volunteers in Tesco. It was good to hear from some of the people they have helped at the service.’

The coronavirus pandemic saw a staggering 41% increase in use of the foodbank, primarily due to redundancies. The foodbank at this time was placed under strain as many of the volunteers who help with its running and operations are elderly and were encouraged to shield for health reasons.

The main drop-off point for donations is Tesco in Callington. 90% of donations come from individual members of the public, frequently from those shopping at Tesco, however shoppers at other supermarkets contribute too. Companies also donate food and PPE equipment and were of notable help during the pandemic when many people were struggling during the lockdowns. Local company Tamar Grow Local have recently run an initiative which helped contribute more fresh fruit and vegetables to parcels.

The upcoming winter is expected to be tough, with the rise in energy prices and it is predicted that more people will have to rely on the foodbank. Foodbanks in the Trussell Trust network face distributing over 7,000 emergency food parcels a day to people in crisis this winter. The foodbank is asking shoppers in Callington and surrounding areas to support local people by donating to Tesco’s annual winter food collection. From Thursday November 18 to Saturday November 20 Tesco customers at Callington will be greeted at the entrance and encouraged to pick up food items to drop in special donation trollies on the way out of store. Customers are being asked to donate essential long-life food items such as sponge puddings, long life milk, small jars of coffee, crisps, chocolate and lunchbox items. Tesco will then top up customers’ food donations with a financial donation of 20% of the value of the items donated.

Coordinator of the foodbank Alex Polglase said: ‘For many people, the winter period can be extremely challenging with many families struggling to heat their homes and put food on the table. Last year, we provided 368 emergency food parcels to people in crisis, but we know it doesn’t have to be like this. No one in Callington should be facing hunger. We want to see an end to local people needing emergency food at all. We’re determined to work alongside other foodbanks in the Trussell Trust network to bring about long-term change to end hunger not only during the Christmas season, but at any time of year. However, while we work to tackle the reasons why people don’t have enough money for the essentials, any donations of our most-needed items will be invaluable. Thanks to Tesco and the generosity of its customers, we hope to continue to offer vital support to families and children throughout the winter months.’

Callington Foodbank’s website lists items which it has aleady been supplied with and those items it still needs.

Callington Town Hall now serves as a second drop-off point for donations. Callington Town Councillor Andrew Long said: ‘It is a testament to the amazing generosity of so many in Callington and the surrounding areas that they have been able to support the foodbank for the last ten years, but also an incredibly sad occasion that we have to have need such facilities as the fifth richest country in the world.’

For more information, speak with Alex on 01579 550374 or visit https://callington.foodbank.org.uk/.