Watford Foodbank donations take hit amid cost of living crisis

Nearly one in 10 parents are “very likely to need a food bank” in the next three months according to a survey carried out by Deliveroo and food bank charity Trussell Trust.

Andrew Tranter, the manager of Watford Foodbank, says that they have already noticed an increase from 14 per cent of families to 20 per cent requiring their services.

And with rising energy prices, other household bills and groceries, there is a question on how many more could depend on foodbanks to feed their families in the near future.

Andrew Tranter, of Watford Foodbank

Mr Tranter said: “Everybody has been affected by that [the cost of living] by some extent, the concern is how is that going to impact us as we go into the rest of the months.

“A lot of things are still happening, the outcome of which we’re not sure yet.”

While it appears more people in Watford are in need of the generous handouts from the food bank, less donations seem to be coming in presumably due to households that normally would help are now facing their own financial struggles.

Shelves are notably emptier than normal

“We’d normally take in 10 tonnes of food going in and 10 tonnes going out. In February we saw a 3 tonnes difference in what came in and what went out,” said the manager.

He said that “really quickly” the team has seen the shelves empty out over the months – particularly with more expensive products such as tinned fruits, meats, fish and also sugar.

Tea bags are being distributed in smaller clumps to make sure enough households can have their tea

Now the food bank is having to dip more into their own funds to supply the stock they need.

Mr Tranter does not fault individuals for the decline of donations coming in, as he understands the difficult situation many are going through as a nation.

Andrew Tranter outside Watford Foodbank

In fact, he hailed Watford to be a “very generous place” and said he is never “ceased to be amazed” by the kindness seen over the years – such as the many willing to help over the series of lockdowns.

Inside Watford Foodbank

While there is more strain on the group of volunteers for the time being, “there’s a long way to go” before the food bank would consider it’s “struggling” to keep up with demand.

But Mr Tranter added: “If things continue the way they are, we don’t know where that’s going to end and how long.”