From its official launch on 30 March 2012 to the end of December, Knowsley Foodbank received over four tonnes of food and fed more than 260 people.
Barry Cooper, who co-ordinates Knowsley Foodbank said, “The response has been both brilliant and very sad at the same time. The way so many have contributed their time and given food has been brilliant, but the fact that there is such a need for a foodbank in Kirkby in the 21st century is very sad.”
The Knowsley Foodbank is being led by Jubilee Church in partnership with all the other churches in Kirkby. All the food is donated by the public and help is accessed by a voucher system that is operated by frontline care professionals. It works with the Trussell Trust and is a part of a network of over 100 foodbanks operating throughout the UK.
One partnering agency emailed Knowsley Foodbank with the following message: “I just wanted to say a big thank you for the food for one of the mums who attends my program, this is what she said about the gift: ‘I cannot put into words how to thank you for the food. When I said I didn’t have a slice of bread, that’s exactly what I meant. I will never be able to repay your kindness and you will never know how much it means to me and my children.’”