.png)
The cost of living crisis is having an impact on all of us. As food and energy prices soar, families across the UK are feeling the biggest squeeze on incomes in a generation.
But for people already struggling to afford the essentials, the cost of living crisis means so much more. It means skipping meals just so you can feed your children. It means cutting back on toiletries like shampoo so you can afford the bus for job interviews. It means turning off the heating so you can afford internet access for your kids to do their homework. This is the true cost of the rising price of essentials for people on the lowest incomes.
Here are five ways to get help affording food from Wetherby & District Foodbank
These days, many more of us are finding it tough to make ends meet. With the increase in National Insurance contributions, the massive hike in fuel bills and price rises in general, it might only take one unexpected expense to find the numbers just don’t add up at the end of the month.
So what do you do if you’re struggling to afford food? Here’s a round-up of the best ways to get help.
1. Ring the Help Through Hardship Helpline on 08082 082138.
The line is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. It’s manned by specially trained staff who can help with a wide range of issues, for example: provide support to maximise your income, help you navigate the benefits system, and maybe identify any additional grants you could be entitled to. If needed, they’ll issue you with an electronic foodbank voucher so you can get an emergency food parcel from us.
2. Call in at Leeds City Council’s One Stop Shop at Wetherby Library.
If needed, they can issue you with a foodbank voucher. If you’re there on a Tuesday or Friday morning, it’s then a short walk from the One Stop Shop up to our distribution centre at Barleyfields.
3. Call in and see us during a foodbank session!
We’re currently open at the Barleyfields Centre between 10am & 11:30am on Tuesdays and Fridays and from Saturday 23rd July 2022, we will also be running regular Saturday sessions from 10:30am till 12:30pm. Our volunteers can make you a cup of tea or coffee and can explain how the foodbank works and how best to get a foodbank voucher.
4. Talk to a Referral Agent. There’s a list on our website.
Referral Agents include schools, churches, children’s centres and frontline health and social care agencies. They are based in Wetherby and the surrounding towns and villages, but we also work with a small selection of agencies in Tadcaster, Boston Spa, Harrogate and Leeds.
5. Ring us direct on 07840 455725.
We can’t always pick up, but you can leave a message and someone will get back to you as soon as they can. NB: Can’t talk or don’t want to talk? You can email us on info@wetherbyanddistrict.foodbank.org.uk Our volunteers try their best to answer these emails promptly.
Please be aware that we currently open on Tuesdays and Fridays only which means your food parcel would be made up for collection or delivery on these days. If, however, you have a food emergency, please let us know as soon as possible and we will see what we can do to help.
Extra help throughout the school holidays.
The Foodbank, in the Barleyfields Centre in Wetherby, is now open Tuesdays 10am-noon, Fridays 10am-noon and Saturdays 10.30am-12.30pm. The Foodbank can also deliver food parcels on Tuesday and Friday mornings.
