Aylesbury Foodbank has never seen demand at the level it is at present. For the first time since opening in 2016 during both December 2022 and January 2023 over 1100 people have needed help with food each month.
Although all our regular donors have continued to be very generous, and more people have stepped up as part of the Mayor’s 10 Tonne Challenge food is still being parcelled up to leave the warehouse as soon as it arrives.
In past years the Christmas donations would have lasted until late March but this year they did not fulfil all the January requirements even though they were the highest on record. As a result, we are having to purchase between £2000 and £3000 of food every month to ensure no family referred to us goes without.
Kevin Piper – Chair of Trustees for Aylesbury Foodbank, said ” We are blown away by the tremendous support we receive from Individuals and Companies from the Aylesbury Area; we would not be able to carry out our work to feed those in need without this support. Times are hard at present for many people, and our volunteers and staff work tirelessly to keep up with the demands placed on us. Sadly, we have seen a tremendous growth in demand for support the last few years and even since Christmas 2022: As long as there is a need in Aylesbury, we will be here to meet people’s needs, we all wish and work towards a future where people do not have to depend upon Foodbanks.”
Aylesbury foodbank has seen rapidly increasing need in the local community since 2016. I the first year of opening we fed 745 people, but we now feed more than this almost every month, with 7,160 people fed from April 2021 to March 2022. This means the amount of food need has increased from 6,406kg in 2016-2017 to 58,176kg in 2021-2022. Since 1st January 2023 we have received 6,396kg but have had to give out 10,102kg.