SPIRALLING fuel and food costs has prompted a foodbank to launch a Warm Winter scheme to help those who might not be able to heat their homes in the coming months.
Barnard Castle mayor Cllr Rima Chatterjee has thrown her support behind the Influence Church’s Storehouse foodbank and its ambition to provide essentials to struggling families over the next four months. Foodbank community lead Abi Baker said there had already been an increased demand for help in the town, and that is expected to rise when the fuel price cap increases in October.
She said currently about 20 people are being helped at the weekly foodbank session at the Methodist Church’s hall between 4pm and 6pm every Friday. She said: “We have seen an increase since September and at the end of the school holidays. We are expecting October to hit quite hard. We are helping about ten families, some are individuals and some are five or six in a family, so about 20 people a week.“
She added that apart from Storehouse, The Hub community centre also has a helping scheme that operates on a Monday.
Ms Baker said a lot of people are too proud to ask for help but as times get harder more people might “come out of the woodwork”
She said: “There is a perceived stigma but we are not here to judge, simply to offer love and support.”
People can approach for help without a referral and will be supported for up to eight weeks while families are signposted to additional areas where they might get assistance through hard times.
Over and above the current support, the Warm Winter scheme aims to provide essentials such as blankets, gloves, scarves, hats, coats, hot-water bottles, tea-lights and thermal flasks, among other things.
Ms Baker said there would be three sizes of Warm Winter boxes depending on the size of the family. People who wish to donate items can do so at The Witham, Barclays Bank and the Co-op. Morrisons supermarket offers a scheme where people can buy pre-packed essentials.
Town mayor Cllr Chatterjee said: “A lot of people have seen those in Morrisons and are helping, but there are so many ways people can support. Barney Prep School is volunteering to help by sorting out donations and doing the packaging.
“I will be talking to all the schools because it will be wonderful to get the children involved.”
Ms Baker said people can help either by giving cash donations or by offering up used items in good condition.
She estimated a small Warm Winter box would cost about £25, a medium about £50 and a large at £75. She said: “We need roughly £6,000 to do this well.”
Cllr Chatterjee said that while many businesses will be struggling with energy costs over the coming months, she hoped that those who could afford to would help be sponsoring the scheme in some way. Storehouse will be holding a “fill a bay day” at the car park at Morrisons supermarket on Sunday, October 2, between 10am and 2pm.
The aim is to fill an entire parking bay with goods for the scheme, Ms Baker said.
The scheme aims to offer the support packages to families once a month for the four months of late autumn and winter. People who wish to donate to the scheme can give cash by visiting https://go
fund.me/9c94ffc6. People who want to get involved by volunteering or businesses which want to help with sponsorship, can email store
house@influencechurch.
co.uk.
