A Fife foodbank is spending £15,000 every month to keep shelves stocked as the cost of living crisis bites.
Volunteers at Kirkcaldy Foodbank say more families than ever are going hungry and living in poverty as food and energy prices soar.
And they warn the problem will only get worse as more people turn to them for help.
More than 2,000 people rely on the charity for food every month and more than a third (36%) are children.
Donations are given to the foodbank, which has distribution points across Kirkcaldy and one in Burntisland, but these do not go far enough.
Some £15,500 is being spent every month to top up the donations – 50% more than last year and 94% of its expenditure.
In the meantime, the foodbank’s income dropped by £50,000.
The group’s new chairman, Ian Campbell, says the current level of expenditure is “unsustainable”.
The warning was made in the run up to World Hunger Day on May 28.
‘Terrible’ few years
Ian said: “We are extremely proud of our dedicated volunteers who continued to ensure that the most vulnerable in our town and surrounding areas continued to be able to eat throughout what have undoubtedly been a terrible few years.
“Likewise, our wonderful supporters gave a tremendous £141,000 in donations – again, in very difficult times.
“But what we cannot escape is the fact that our income fell by approximately half, while our expenditure rose from £142,500 to £198,500.
“In anyone’s books, this is unsustainable so we need to continue to look at ways to make our foodbank work while facing the pressure of rising numbers of people finding themselves in crisis.”
Ian called on the people of Kirkcaldy to lobby their politicians for change, to allow people “dignity and a basic income”.
He added: “If there are any institutions or businesses in the local area which could make a direct contribution to help alleviate this poverty, then Kirkcaldy Foodbank would very much like to hear from them.
The foodbank can be contacted at kirkcaldyfoodbank@gmail.com.
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