HUNDREDS of people have had to turn to a Basingstoke food bank for help since it was set up just over six months ago.

More than 350,000 people have received emergency parcels from the Trussell Trust charity nationally in the last year, and the food bank in Basingstoke has helped to feed 550 people since opening in October last year.

Basingstoke Foodbank is run by volunteers from more than 30 Basingstoke churches, overseen by the charity, which is now involved in more than 300 food banks in the country. Since launching at Trinity Methodist Church, in Sarum Hill, the Basingstoke service has helped families, couples and individuals who have found themselves in crisis and in desperate need of food.

The food bank follows a strict set of rules, which allow it to only provide enough food to last three days. Food is given in an emergency, rather than as a long-term solution, and those who visit the bank are signposted to agencies which can help solve their longer-term problems. Only those issued with a voucher, from care professionals such as doctors, health visitors, social workers and the police, can receive food, having been identified as being in crisis.

Noel Matthews, who deals with PR and communications for Basingstoke Foodbank, said being part of the Trussell Trust enables the charity to identify how big the problem is nationally. He added: “We record statistics for both donations and food we give out and they (Trussell Trust) use that to build a national picture to lobby Government.”

Mr Matthews said: “One of the big things in Basingstoke is to get over the fact that there is a need for a food bank. People don’t think there’s a need for it here. It’s something we need to get across.”

Last week, Trussell Trust was in the national news after revealing that more and more people are relying on its service. Chris Mould, the trust’s Foodbank charity director, said: “There are more people in this country living in a precarious way and food banks are picking up the pieces.”

The Basingstoke Foodbank opens on Wednesday and Friday from 10.30am to 2.30pm when volunteers put together packages of food and talk to those who have come for help, offering them a cup of tea or coffee during their visit. Packages will include enough for a nutritionally balanced diet, including fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, and possibly a treat such as biscuits or sweets.

Paula Vallance, centre volunteers manager, said the majority of clients visiting the food bank are single people who have had a delay in their benefits or who have suddenly found themselves needing benefits. She said that many people are “just two pay cheques away from a crisis” and added: “You can be made redundant and two months later could be in crisis. We are finding a lot of people are coming to us because of benefit delays.”

She added: “There have always been people who have struggled with debt and finances and that will never go away. We have to be realistic about that – it’s not a current phenomenon.”

The food bank now has 35 volunteers and is given donations by churches, schools and individuals. It is now hoping more businesses will offer support.

For more information about donating to, or supporting, the Basingstoke Foodbank, visit basingstoke.foodbank.org.uk.