Sheffield foodbank reaches £100,000 fundraising milestone amid concerns over energy price rise

S6 food bank on Gilpin Street, Sheffield celebrated the milestone on February 4, as it raised £100,000 including gift aid since April 2021 towards its £150,000 target.

The large food bank caters to 10 other sites across the city, sending out pallets of food, hygiene products and other essentials.

Their latest fundraising effort is part of the food bank’s One Million Meals campaign, which aims to enable S6 to give out 1 million meals across the city over the year.

Chris Hardy, S6 manager, said: “Having raised £100,000 means that we have got enough money in the bank to buy food for the next few months and make sure that the people of Sheffield don’t go hungry.

"We still depend on donations of food and we still need money because we are buying the food in pallets. We are always thankful to every person in Sheffield, whether you are donating £1 or £10,000. We are grateful for every donation.

"With the price of energy going up, a conservative estimate would be that most of the increases for people using our food banks will be £100-£150.

"It is a perfect storm of the universal credit cut, the rise in the price of food and fuel, and the weather has been colder, so there will be more people using our food banks. People have a real choice between putting their central heating and lights on, and feeding their children and themselves.

“We are seeing a lot more families and people who are working because they can’t make ends meet.”

Two new donation points for S6 have been established, one at the Sikh temple in Attercliffe, and another at Crookes Social Club.

As well as providing Sheffielders with meals, S6 aims to tackle the cause of food bank use, and have support workers on hand at their sessions to speak with those who need help.

Chris added: “For people who use our food banks we are the first port of call. It is really important we have got debt workers and housing workers in, we are here to help with any issue or signpost people to the best places to get help.”