by Louise Doyle
THERE has been a 20 per cent surge in the number of people who have sought help from Letterkenny Foodbank so far this year, with the rising trend expected to continue.
The Market Square based community voluntary organisation was set up almost a decade ago in August 2014 to meet the then emerging social needs of families and individuals across Donegal.
The demand for the service has not quelled, and in fact has risen since its inception.
More recently, the housing crisis, the cost of living crisis and the arrival of Ukrainian refugees has seen demand soar.
Public Relations Officer with We Care Letterkenny Foodbank, Fintan McGrath said there has been a “significant increase year on year in non nationals from all countries attending the foodbank”. It’s a pattern he forecasts will continue.
“This trend is likely to keep on increasing. Last year (2023) we supported approximately 3,800 family/individual household parcels.
“I estimate this year the numbers are up approximately 20 per cent.”
We Care Letterkenny Foodbank works in partnership with community organisations who identify people in need and refer them to the foodbank.
The foodbank operates a food vouchers system with the various community organisations.
The foodbank is run by volunteers who collect, store and distribute food to individuals and families.
It is stocked by the community who donate food supplies in local supermarkets and the community centre and by running food drives.
We Care Food Bank also work with Food Cloud by collecting surplus food in a local supermarket on a daily basis and distribute this food to families in need thus eliminating Food Waste.
See We Care Letterkenny Foodbank on Facebook to see how you can help.
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