Littlehampton & District Foodbank has put out a crisis appeal to local businesses in a bid to secure sustainable support, so it can build on its mission to end food poverty in the area.

Foodbank trustees fear their work exclusively with people in proven financial crisis and food poverty is becoming forgotten, with so many other projects in West Sussex offering free food for all.

Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose already provide fantastic support for the foodbank but the new campaign calls on local businesses to come forward, too.

Tess Cash, chair of trustees, said: “This is just the beginning. If we can encourage local businesses to support us with sustainable, regular income, this would free us from the never-ending work of fundraising and allow us to develop our ambitious long-term plans to work towards ending food poverty in the area.

Littlehampton & District Foodbank volunteers making up food parcels in the stockroom

placeholder image — Littlehampton & District Foodbank volunteers making up food parcels in the stockroom

“Working with other agencies and community organisations, we can help those in need to get out of crisis, maybe back in to work, and eventually remove the need for a foodbank like ours – that would be a success for us. It seems a long way off at the moment.”

The new campaign aims to bust some myths about the foodbank as it faces a winter with hugely-rising energy costs, added to the burden of other increases in the cost of living and the expected increase in numbers to top 3,000 people.

Tess said: “Unlike other organisations which do a great job providing free food for people regardless of their status, Littlehampton Foodbank operates exclusively for people who have reached desperate levels of food poverty and financial hardship. And projected rising energy costs this autumn / winter will push even more people into crisis and food poverty.

“We are run almost exclusively by volunteers and we have to work really hard to keep the doors open.”

Littlehampton & District Foodbank volunteers talking to clients while emergency food parcels are made up

The foodbank is based at Littlehampton Baptist Church. Picture a mother walking in with her three young children to tell volunteers they have not eaten since breakfast the previous day.

Having called Trussell's Help through Hardship helpline, she has been given a voucher and directed to the foodbank but has no idea what happens next. The volunteers quickly fetch food the children can eat immediately, while they prepare some emergency food supplies for the family.

Tess said: “This is not an unusual situation for the foodbank, which last year provided support and emergency food for just under 3,000 local people in financial crisis in 750 households across the area – one third of which included children. Just under 30 tonnes of food were distributed.

“We aim to help by providing short-term emergency food and essential household items and by signposting them to other agencies who can help them out of crisis, which meets our objectives of relieving poverty and hardship.”

So far this year, Littlehampton & District Foodbank has provided more than 1,550 people with emergency food parcels, 465 of them children

While the cost of essential living expenses continues to rise, the foodbank has been feeling the knock-on effect of falling donations. Already more than 1.6 tonnes down on this time last year, the team has had to buy 4 tonnes of extra food to keep stocks available.

So far this year, Littlehampton Foodbank has provided more than 1,550 people with emergency food parcels, 465 of them children.

Tess said: “We are appealing to the community to help wherever they can – to local schools and churches for their support with Harvest Festival approaching, which usually results in generous food donation, and to local businesses for longer-term support.

“We do get fantastic support for our community from Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose and hope more supermarkets will join them. We are also now seeking the support of local businesses to help sustain the vital work of the foodbank short term and crucially to help us deliver our ambitious longer-term objective of ending food poverty in the Littlehampton area. We want local businesses to help put us out of business because we are no longer needed!”

The foodbank hopes to benefit from the new Pride in Place funding. It believes a working partnership of local charities, local government and business, supported by such initiatives, could deliver sustainable and resilient change through improvements in skills and employment, health and social care.