THE Evening Mail is proud to launch its second Tonne of Tins campaign – but this year we are aiming for even more.

With Christmas right around the corner the worry of added expenses plays on the minds of many families and Barrow Foodbank comes under even more pressure.

In recognising this and the wonderful work that the food bank does, the Evening Mail is proud to launch our Tonnes of Tins campaign with the aim of raising enough money over the next month to buy three tonnes of food to be distributed.

Barrow Foodbank and its satellite sites fed a staggering 3,087 people and issued 1,307 food vouchers between April 1 and October 23. A tonne of food costs £1,680.

Statistically, the worst affected wards for food poverty in Barrow are Central, Hindpool, Barrow Island and Ormsgill.

Kicking off the Tonnes of Tins campaign will be the money that has been raised by the three finalists for the Evening Mail’s Win your Wedding Competition.

Every penny the finalists raise will go to Barrow Foodbank and the amount will be announced tomorrow.

James Higgins, editor of the North West Evening Mail, said: “It’s easy to take for granted simple things in life like food; however, the reality is that for many families in south Cumbria a decent meal every day is not always the reality.

“Our last Tonne of Tins appeal was a massive success and we were heartened by the way the community got involved.

“I am sure that over the next six weeks the people of Barrow, Ulverston, Millom and the towns and villages inbetween will display the fantastic community spirit that this area is so famous for.”

The campaign will last for six weeks and to mark the launch the Evening Mail trailer will be visiting four supermarkets for collections next week.

On Monday the Evening Mail trailer will be at Tesco Extra in Barrow.

On Tuesday it will be at Tesco in Millom, on Wednesday it will be at Asda in Barrow and on Thursday it will be at Booths in Ulverston.

Project manager at Barrow Foodbank, Ann Mills said: “In the run-up to Christmas this will be really appreciated.

“We do see an increase in the amount of people visiting us from November until the end of January.

“People get themselves into debt at Christmas time because they want to buy presents for their children.

“These people are not coming here for extra shopping, they are coming here because they need help.”