AS the cost-of-living crisis continues and more families fall below the bread line, a foodbank has noted a rise in demand of over 80 per cent in the past year.

Fusion Foodbank is one of the largest foodbanks in North Kirklees, based in Dewsbury, providing food, toiletries, and cleaning products to those in a personal emergency.

At a time when people are struggling to make ends meet and barely able to cover their own costs, the foodbank which is heavily reliant on donations is falling into a worrying state.

A spokesperson for Fusion Foodbank said: “Recently we have seen a decline in donations which is a worrying time, as demand for our service is continuing to increase significantly and we are concerned that this will be ongoing due to the current cost of living crisis we are facing.

“In August 2022, we supported 558 people, this is a 59.3% increase from August 2021.

"We also provided food for 218 children and young people an increase of 86.8% from August 2021.

“In total we provided 12,192 meals, 340 food parcels, 156 toiletry packs and 104 cleaning packs last month.

“Faced with minimum donations too, this was a very challenging month for us.”

The foodbank offers both a collection and delivery service to ensure everyone has access to support should they need it.

There are two ways the foodbank can be accessed. Firstly, if the client is housed and in receipt of benefits, referrals to services are made through the Local Welfare Provision.

If the client is unable to use the Local Welfare Provision, for example, if they are homeless, in temporary accommodation or are not yet receiving benefits, a self-referral can be made through the foodbank directly, by ringing its foodbank line.

Fusion Foodbank does receive funding from the Local Welfare Provision but also relies heavily on donations to operate.

The spokesperson said: “We have set up a number of ways in which we can receive donations.

“These can be food items, cash/cheque donations, or bank transfers.”

The foodbank has also set up an Amazon Wishlist with items it regularly needs and most recently, a Just Giving Page has been set up to raise funds for toiletry supplies.

“We know that testing and uncertain times will continue and our plan for this is to continue to support those who need our help and to work at receiving donations to ensure we remain well stocked.”

Have you got a story for us? Email newsdesk@telegraphandargus.co.uk or contact us here or WhatsApp us on 07720403052.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01274 705292.