Sheffield foodbank prepares for the 'busiest three months' of the year as temperatures drop

The S6 Foodbank network has 12 locations across Sheffield and supported 600 families-a-week over the festive period.

Donations are said to have flooded in during December, during a time of giving, but foodbank boss Chris Hardy says the first three months of the new year will be the busiest.

He said: “This time of year it is absolutely baltic cold and the heat and gas is on and that affects the cash.

“It’s going to be a hard, tough year for lots of families... our numbers [of families needing support] are rising slow but steady and we can’t see the numbers going down any time soon.”

The S6 Foodbank network reportedly put the equivalent of £1.2million back into people’s pockets last year. The charity is reported to have fed nearly 70,000 local adults and children in a food emergency between April 2023 and March 2024.

Chris said working families are increasingly finding themselves in need of foodbank services as well.

“Families are using us for longer because their wages are not going up, but their costs are going up,” he said.

Temperatures will continue to fall over the coming months, which the network expects will bring more people to its centres, looking for support.

However, Chris remains optimistic for the future, however bleak it may look at present.

He said: “We’re hoping for the numbers to go down a little. We put a lot of energy and money into our debt service and advice service. We want to make sure people are fed and also making sure they are getting the right advice.

“Donations and financial donations were fantastic over Christmas and that is due to the people of Sheffield wanting to support each other.

“We are coming to our really busy period now. It’s really busy at Christmas, but this is now the coldest three months of the year.”

Find more information about S6 Foodbanks, how to help and how to access support, on the website.