Cost of living: Wokingham food bank's referrals double in year

A food bank has said the number of referrals it receives has doubled in the last 12 months.

Wokingham Food Bank usually sees "low footfall" during August, but this year it received 206 referrals, compared with 94 in the same period last year.

The charity has also introduced a "fuel bank" scheme to distribute vouchers to people on pre-payment energy metres.

Manager Annette Medhurst said the food bank was seeing an increase in people who had never used it before.

"A lot of people are coming with debt issues, and longer-term issues," she said.

People who are referred via organisations such as Wokingham Citizens Advice can receive food but also pet food, nappies and baby food.

The food bank said it fed 576 people through parcels during August this year, compared to 250 people receiving food parcels in 2021.

Ms Medhurst said: "The cost of living crisis is being felt very acutely across Wokingham Borough.

"At the moment, we have working families coming in and they are saying our income simply does not cover our bills."

Wokingham Borough Mayor Caroline Smith told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the importance of the foodbank would likely grow during the winter.

"Although Wokingham Borough is seen as an affluent area, there are still those who are not able to afford everyday essentials like food and fuel," she said.

But she also said food banks were not the long-term solution.

"Social security in this country isn't enough for people to live on," she added.

"We should have strong support systems in place to help those in crisis."

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