THE LEADER of a Bradford foodbank believes that things will get worse before they get better, as the cost-of-living crisis continues.

Seif Hussain, of iCare Food Hub, said that his team has helped almost 3,000 people in the district since last April.

iCare operates across the UK, and Seif – who is only 20 – heads up its Bradford branch.

He has warned that a tough winter may lie ahead, as more people are forced to rely on foodbanks.

“Costs are increasing, bills are going up and you can see what families are going through – it really does get to you,” said Seif, who describes himself as a “local boy” from Marshfields.

“The hardest thing is when they have young kids, who they’re struggling to feed.

“Sometimes, they have to sacrifice one thing for something else. For example, they have to choose food over hygiene products.

“Inflation and everything rising was a deciding factor for us to do what we’ve done – families in Bradford are struggling, and our main aim is to help them put food on the table.”

Seif said that iCare is, on average, delivering around 45 food parcels to people in Bradford every month.

The group is based at the Al-Hira Islamic Centre on Marsh Street, and some of its volunteers are as young as “11 or 12”, Seif added.

“People get surprised at how young I am – I started with iCare during lockdown, and I hadn’t even turned 19 then,” he continued.

“It’s all about doing good. Since April last year, we’ve delivered around 700 parcels, helping around 2,800 people.

“It all comes from the help of our community. When you give money to charity, you don’t always see where that money goes, but this provides local people in the area with the opportunity to get involved with a good cause.

“We have seen some improvements through our work. It’s nice to be able to make people who are struggling, especially kids, smile.

“We’ve given kids chocolate or a packet of crisps, and when they take it, you can see how happy they are.

"We also support homeless people and will be giving out winter care packs to them."

Anyone who is need, or anyone who wants to get involved with iCare, can call 07473 862875.

“Anyone who is struggling should come and seek help,” Seif added.

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed of your situation. There are people out there who can help.

“To anyone looking to get involved, I would say this is a great opportunity to be someone’s reason to smile.”