4,000 meals provided in extra-busy May, but items received down 50% on winter peak.
May was the Food Hub’s busiest month since last summer. During the month we provided food for 445 people, which at three meals a day for three days for each person, was equivalent to 4,005 meals.
May’s meals total was higher even than last December, always traditionally our busiest month of the year. It means that so far in 2025 we have been able to provide 16,500 meals for 1,840 clients and family members.
The increasing need comes at the same time as a significant reduction in food donations. Historically the trend is for donations to fall noticeably in the early part of the year after the peak months of November, December and January. However, the number of items received in the last three months (12,971) is down 50 percent compared to November 2024-January 2025 (25,636).
As a result we did not have the spare stock to respond to an urgent request for food help from our partner Food Stop at Fieldway Family Centre, New Addington. Fortunately we were able to draw on our cash reserves and donate an extra £440 towards their weekly spend of up to £500 on food supplies.
This was made possible by the many generous money donations that we continue to receive and for which we are hugely grateful.
These donations have enabled us to continue to support the Food Stops at Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church, Purley, and St Francis Church, Monks Hill, Selsdon, where many of our clients go to receive further food support after receiving their emergency food parcels from us.
Julia Weller, the Fieldway Family Centre’s Chief Executive Officer, told us: “The cost of living crisis is hitting everybody so hard, we completely understand that you do not get enough food donations presently to give to Food Stop Fieldway. The generous £440 donation is fantastic news. Thank you so much.”
Meanwhile Food Hub Trustee Rev’d Fiona Weaver and colleagues are continuing their visits to Fieldway and the other food partners that we support financially in order to review the support we provide and consider a possible increase from July.