The manager of a local food bank is ‘fearful’ for the months ahead as referrals are 130 per cent higher than last year. 

August is normally Wokingham Foodbank’s quietest month, however, last month it received 206 referrals for households who were struggling to afford the cost of food and other essentials. 

Annette Medhurst, who runs the charity, said they didn’t expect the demand to be “quite so high” and are already planning to open for an extra day a week “to cope with a further increase” in referrals.  

Ms Medhurts explains that “over 50 per cent” of the referrals come from Wokingham Citizens Advice and “a further 25 per cent” come from various departments at Wokingham Borough Council. The rest are via local schools and charities. 

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This year the charity is seeing a lot of new clients, with people attending the foodbank “in disbelief” that things are so difficult and are having to turn to charity “to help feed their children”. 

“Residents who normally donate to the food bank are now turning to us for help. We had a dip in food donations earlier this year but they are stable at the moment, this issue is that we are giving out more than we are getting in”, Ms Medhurst said. 

Wokingham Foodbank also offers a ‘fuelbank’ scheme, which provides gas and electricity top-up vouchers for people experiencing fuel poverty.  

Ms Medhurst said the demand for support with energy costs had “soared” in recent months. In August, it received 113 referrals for emergency energy support vouchers – an increase of 371 per cent compared to the same period last year. 

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“Everyone has been hit by the increased energy costs. People attend the Foodbank telling us they can only afford to boil a kettle once a day, so we’ve given out some thermos flasks to help out,” she added. 

Wokingham Borough Mayor Cllr Caroline Smith, who recently volunteered at the food bank, said it is “essential” that residents who are more fortunate “continue to show kindness”. 

“Although Wokingham Borough is seen as an affluent area, there are still those who are not able to afford everyday essentials like food and fuel.  

“The importance of the foodbank is likely to grow this winter as residents grow concerned about the cost of living,” Cllr Smith added. 

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The charity, which is supported by dozens of volunteers, helped 4,759 people last year but Ms Medhurst insists food banks are not “the long-term solution”. 

“Social security in this country isn’t enough for people to live on. Everyone should be able to afford the essentials. We should have strong support systems in place to help those in crisis. 

“By the time households have paid their rent, council tax, energy and fuel bills there is simply nothing left. I’d love it if we could close our doors for good, but I’d happily take a reduction in footfall because it didn’t take five weeks to get your first Universal Credit payment!” she added.