A FOODBANK operating across Northwich and Winsford is urging people to become volunteers to help it support an increasing number of households in need.

As the cost-of-living crisis rages on, more people are leaning on foodbanks and Mid Cheshire Foodbank (MCFB) is working hard to meet this increase in demand.

It runs more than 16 sessions a week across Northwich and Winsford, as well as in some rural locations.

Catherine Lawton, project manager, is concerned there are now people in need of a foodbank who never thought they would be in that position, so they don’t know how to access help.

She said: “If you are struggling, please call one of our referral agencies.

“They can book you a food parcel to collect at one of the distribution points, and they can also provide other support and guidance on a range of things.

“There is probably more help available than many think - people can be working and receive support with many financial matters.

“It is a misconception that a household must be in receipt of benefits.

“The numbers for the main referral agencies we use are on our website, midcheshire.foodbank.org.uk.”

This year marks the foodbank’s 10th year of operation, and it is supporting more households than ever before.

The whole operation is run entirely by volunteers.

Many of the original and long-serving volunteers had to take a step back during Covid and the charity was forced to review the way it worked to meet the challenges social distancing and limited access to the distribution centres brought – leading to new opportunities for volunteers.

Catherine explained: “We need help for the things you might expect, like giving the food to the clients and having a friendly chat, receiving and sorting donated food and packing it into the food parcels, but there are also a host of other coordination and administrative opportunities as well.”

Volunteers can spend as much, or as little, time helping the foodbank as they choose.

This could range from a regular weekly or monthly two-hour session, to working from home on admin support tasks, such as building relationships with supermarkets and managing social media.

“In these uncertain times, when we can feel frustrated at how seemingly little we as an individual can do to make things better, volunteering at somewhere like a foodbank is very rewarding,” Catherine said.

“Giving a couple of hours of time really is making a huge difference to a vulnerable household, giving that bit of relief and breathing space to help someone move forward beyond a crisis point.

“MCFB will be hosting a ‘Volunteer Recruitment Open Day’ at their Northwich East Distribution Centre at the end of September.

“There will be information about the types of volunteering opportunities they have, people can answer questions and talk about what it is like to volunteer for MCFB, as well as an opportunity to look around and learn about the support provided to so many people across the area.”

To register your interest phone 01606 590992 or email volunteers@midcheshire.foodbank.org.uk.