FOODBANKS help hundreds of people every week to feed themselves and their families and as the weather gets colder, demand is expected to rise.

Atherton and Leigh Foodbank is completely dependent on volunteers and the public to donate their time, the food and funding so it can provide three nutritional meals a day for 120 people every week, a third of which are children.

But as Christmas approaches and heating bills rise, demand is expected to rise and project manager Warren Done wants the community to come together and help those in need.

He said: “One in five parents now skip meals to feed their children and they are living below the poverty line.

“And it is not just people who are out of work who are struggling but people on low incomes who have got an unexpected bill or their car has broken down so we say to them if they can pay the bill we will provide them with food so they don’t get into debt.

“People who come here need to have a voucher and there are 55 agencies that give these out such as housing providers and care workers who make sure the food is going to the right people.

“We will provide them with three or four days of food for whoever is in the family and they can get up to three vouchers in six months but most only need one or two.

“We also provide somewhere for people to come and have a chat over a cup of tea and we can often signpost people to other services such as debt management.”

The foodbank sets up at Kingsleigh Methodist Church in Leigh on Mondays and Tuesdays, Leigh Baptist Church on Thursdays, all from 10am until noon, and at Atherton Parish Church on Wednesdays and Fridays from 1pm until 3pm. It will only close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

To find out more, call Warren on 07980 881925 or email info@athertonleigh.foodbank.org.uk.