Littlehampton foodbank reports 17% increase in use ahead of winter

The amount of people using foodbanks in Littlehampton has gone up by almost a fifth this year.
Littlehampton & District Foodbank, pictured in 2015 at a visit by MP Nick Gibb.Littlehampton & District Foodbank, pictured in 2015 at a visit by MP Nick Gibb.
Littlehampton & District Foodbank, pictured in 2015 at a visit by MP Nick Gibb.

Samantha Gouldson, deputy co-ordinator of the Littlehampton & District Foodbank, said the amount of three-day emergency food supplies it gave out between April 1 and September 30 had risen by 17 per cent compared to the same period last year.

She warned that ‘need will continue to rise as colder weather draws in’.

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She said: “The increasing numbers of people in need of emergency food supplies is a real concern, particularly as these figures don’t even cover our busiest time of the year. The winter months are often the hardest, with many people having to choose between heating their homes and buying adequate food.”

The foodbank, based in Littlehampton Baptist Church in Fitzalan Road, gave out 562 three-day emergency food supplies to local families in the April to September period. More than a quarter of supplies went to children, Samantha said.

She said the recent introduction of Universal Credit has ‘had a real impact’ with more than a third of all the food supplies being given out due to changes to benefits and delays to payments.

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The foodbank is a member of The Trussell Trust’s national network, which this week reported a UK-wide increase in foodbank use.

It provides food for people across the eastern half of Arun and running costs are around £20,000 a year, all raised locally, Samantha said.

She said: “We know that there are a lot of people in need of our help who aren’t coming to us because they’ve heard all sorts of myths about foodbanks.

“We’re publicly challenging these myths so that people realise they can come to us for help if they need to.”

To donate warehouse space and funding, visit littlehamptondistrict.foodbank.org.uk/give-help.