It should not be considered a stretch to suggest that across Britain, the local food bank is one of the most important institutions for many people.
In a modern world where prices seem to rise faster than people can keep up with them, the food bank quietly ensures that struggling families across the UK do not have to choose between heating their homes and feeding their children.
And, here in Surrey, despite what many would think about the prosperous nature of the region, this is no different. People would be mistaken to believe that these issues are not prevalent in the county.
The rose-tinted glasses of upper-middle class neighbourhoods and low crime rates camouflage many from the fact that thousands in Surrey still struggle to put food on their tables.
At North Guildford Food Bank; last year was their busiest year to date. More people than ever have been requiring support from the Park Barn-based facility in the last twelve months, and their manager, Jessica, has told Surrey Live that this trend is only continuing.
She said: "There was a significant increase from 2020 onwards, but we have again seen another noticeably sharp spike in 2024 and into this year.
"It's the cost of everything from food to fuel. People already on a tight budget don’t have the flexibility to cope with those rising costs. So many things are more expensive now."
The North Guildford Food Bank provides people in the surrounding areas with a multitude of forms of support, not just food. This support is accessed through referrals whereby people contact local support agencies or social services to then be referred as a client for the food bank.
There are currently around 135 agencies which refer clients to the charity, with Guildford Borough Council having the most amount of referrals in 2024.
Besides food parcels, the food bank also provides a range of services. From supporting fuel costs with fuel vouchers to something as simple as having someone to speak with over a cup of tea.
When a client enters St Clare's Church, they will be welcomed at the door and guided towards their food parcels. Following this, volunteers will offer a hot drink and biscuit, and ask if they need any other forms of support, and shown the signposting support sheet, which list dozens of support systems covering many different aspects of life.
Then, all clients can stay and just have a general chat with volunteers about anything going on in their lives. Jessica said this is a crucial part of the client process, saying many of their clients just need a "friendly, non-judgemental ear" to listen to them.
All provided food parcels consist of fresh produce. For example a family of four will be allocated six forms of meats, 2.5kg of pasta, three large packets of cereal, and five tins of baked beans, as well as vegetables, fruit, bread, eggs and much more.
North Guildford Food Bank currently has around 110 selfless volunteers who give up their time in a number of ways. From delivery drivers, who deliver food parcels to the doors of clients, donation sorters, administrational support, trustees down to packers and listeners who act as a shoulder of support to clients during their tri-weekly client walk-in timetable.
In 2024 alone, the Park Barn-based food bank fed nearly 3,500 adults and nearly 2,500 children, according to their record keeping documents. To put into perspective this worsening issue, in 2023, the charity helped more than 2,650 adults and around 2,000 children.
Comparing these statistics suggests that, in the space of a year, approximately 1,500 additional adults and children in Guildford have found themselves in a position where they cannot afford to feed themselves.
The statistics also show that the number of parcels provided in 2024 is nearly triple the yearly level that it was before the COVID pandemic.
The food bank's manager told Surrey Live that when she was compiling all the data to compare with previous years, December 2024's statistics were 'off the charts', saying: "I had to change the scale of the graph to fit in December 2024"
In December 2024 alone, the volunteers gave out 368 food parcels, which fed 610 adults and 547 children. Jessica said that generally, the Christmas month is around 50 per cent busier than other months in the year, suggesting this is because: "It's the pressure of the season. There is a perceived pressure at Christmas (of) wanting to provide for family."
According to the food bank's record keeping, over a quarter of clients in 2024 said they requested referral to the charity due to the cost of living crisis.
It would seem that these additional people are still requiring this support into 2025, as according to Jessica; demand was up nearly ten per cent in the first three months of the year when compared with the corresponding months in 2024.
When asked which demographics they often find as clients, manager, Jessica told Surrey Live: "It's a mix. (There is a) significant number of single people. Yes, families are generally with young children, but really it’s a whole mix.
"We do not carry out analysis of food bank demand by household size. We do, however, provide food parcels which suit the number of people in each household."
Despite this increased demand, throughout SurreyLive reporter, Joseph Bickle's visit to the food bank, it was clear that all the volunteers at St Clare's Church were fully prepared to support anyone and everyone.
The atmosphere during Monday's (March 31) packing and donation day was chirpy and the church was well organised, with all forms of donations, which also includes toiletries and household cleaning items, clearing organised into different sections ready to be packed into parcels.
While food parcels and donations are crucial to the food bank, ultimately the near perennial amount of time given up by the volunteers on a weekly basis is what allows the charity to support the demand.
Volunteers give up to ten hours of their time weekly to help the food bank. This is a truly selfless act, which is made even more noble when you consider the fact that outside of volunteering, some of the people giving up multiple hours weekly are judges and self-employed business runners.
SurreyLive asked manger Jessica if she believes an additional food bank in Guildford would help ease the demand at St Clare's Church, to which she responded:
"We just need to maintain the donations to keep up with the demand. We are incredibly thankful to all our donors for their support in ensuring that we can still support those in need this year."
There are many ways you can support North Guildford Food Bank; the list reads as follows:
- Donating money to their JustGiving page here: www.justgiving.com/northguildfordfoodbank
- Donating food and other useful goods; you can find out what the food bank currently needs on their Facebook page. You can give donations at multiple chain retailers across Guildford, or drop off donations at St. Clare’s Church on Mondays between 8:45am and 10.30am.
- Financial donations through bank transfers or cheques, or through GiftAid
- Finally, with EasyFundraising. Whereby, if people don’t have any spare funds to donate, they can sign up for EasyFundraising where, when you buy things online, businesses will donate to the food bank. You can learn more about this here: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/north-guildford-food-bank
To learn more about the different ways in which you can donate to the North Guildford Food Bank, visit their website's page on donating here: www.northguildfordfoodbank.co.uk/food-donations/
