Barrow foodbank 'overwhelmed' with offers of voluntary help amid coronavirus pandemic

Offers of voluntary work have come flooding in after the foodbank posted an appeal looking for kind-hearted people to help out with its growing demand.

Due to a number of the foodbank team being over 70 and needing to self-isolate, the foodbank asked for extra assistance at the Abbey Road Baptist Church.

After posting the plea, the foodbank was flooded with voluntary offers.

"We put a plea out for volunteers last night and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response," said a Barrow Foodbank spokeswoman.

“What a wonderful warm and generous community we live in.

“We’ll get in touch with you all. We don’t know how long we’ll be impacted so we may need to put out a further call as things progress. Thank you all.”

The appeal comes after growing pressure was placed on foodbanks due to self-isolation measures and stock-piling in supermarkets.

This is what prompted south Cumbrian gas network, Cadent, to donate £240,000 to help food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network as they seek to support people affected by coronavirus. The fund’s advisory board agreed to fast-track a grant to the Trussell Trust which supports more than 1,200 food bank centres.

“Foodbanks are facing a huge challenge right now, with supplies low and many of their army of volunteers falling into categories that really must self-isolate – just at the time when the need for food bank services is greatest," said Julia Dwyer, director of the Cadent Foundation.

“Part of the core mission of our new foundation is to help people living in vulnerable circumstances. We had to do something in response to the coronavirus. Our advisory board met on Wednesday and unanimously agreed this financial support.”

Sophie Carre, head of corporate partnerships at foodbank owner the Trussell Trust, said: “We’re working closely with our network to understand each food bank’s situation, offer guidance and work out how we can best support them.”