Food handouts double in Sutton

From January 1 to April 23, Sutton Food Bank has provided food parcels to 446 people - double the amount they saw in the same period last year.

The charity keeps the food in a storage centre and distributes it twice a week at the Salvation Army Centre in Benhill Avenue and once a week Apple Lodge in Brighton Road.

With the benefit cuts and welfare reform changes the charity is expecting the situation to worsen with more people needing their services so they are planning to hold another distribution session during the week.

With the increased strain they are appealing for help to find permanent premises where they can both store and distribute food.

This will help the volunteers who currently have to move vast quantities of food around.

Sutton Food Bank co-ordinator, Mark Tomlinson, said: "Every year since we started we have seen an increase and we anticipate that with the benefit cuts and welfare reform changes we will see a massive increase this year.

"This is partly due to rising food and fuel prices and static incomes. However, with the cuts there are reductions in council tax benefits, in crisis loan payments and soon the introduction of the Universal Cap.

"My biggest concern is the sustainability of a project that is not a statutory agency, is not funded by the council and relies on the good will of volunteers and donations from local churches of food and money.

"The increase in demand has been dramatic and I find it hard to believe with all the empty properties we see in our borough that more cannot be done to house a project which is fulfilling a social need usually and historically the preserve of local and national agencies."

Tom Brake the MP for Carshalton and Wallington said: "I visited them (Sutton Food Bank) a couple of months ago and I was really impressed with the work they are doing. First of all it’s very disappointing the amount of work they are doing increasing as a result of the fiscal economic situation we face.

"I would encourage any out-standing developers or any land lords with suitable premises to come forward as soon as possible."

Councillor Simon Wales, lead councillor for finance, assets and the voluntary sector, said: "We are very supportive of the highly valuable work done by Sutton Food Bank and already provide them with accommodation at a site in Apple Lodge.

"We have been working to identify further suitable premises sadly, thus far, none has proved suitable for them. We will continue to work with them and in the meantime we would encourage anyone to support the food bank in any way they can."