Euston Foodbank needs your help! We are currently supporting over 60,000 local Camden people every year - that’s a rolling number of over 400 households a week, half of whom may be repeat attenders, but half are new.

As we know - and our MP, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told us - things are only going to get worse with the winter fuel crisis on top of the worsening cost-of-living crisis. But we aim to step up in the hostile environment and support people in our community.

Since lockdown, things have become much more difficult for our foodbank and as much as we long for numbers to dwindle and foodbanks to become unnecessary, we are a long way from that goal.

Just compare: in 2016/17 we were entirely volunteer-run and had 3,000 clients. Now we have two full-time workers organising collection and distribution four times a week.

We long for the time when people made workplace and neighbourhood collections of non-perishable food that added variety to our food packages, but now we need to order in weekly wholesaler deliveries of juice, milk and toilet paper as well as instant coffee and tuna, which costs thousands of pounds, and of course our energy bills increase. Up to 5,000 meals a day go out from our premises to all who need them.

Dorothea Hackman says that the Euston Foodbank needs more donations and volunteer supportDorothea Hackman says that the Euston Foodbank needs more donations and volunteer support (Image: Archant)

The other generosity that has diminished is corporate donations. We are so grateful for the money that does come in, but it used to be more

There is help, the Thanet Street Trust, which helps with our modest rent, Watches of Switzerland and local law firms to name a few, and of course the charity Foodbank Aid, which donates a third of the food we distribute. And the harvest collections from schools and churches.

Just so you know, we don’t receive any help from Camden Council, although it refers around a third of our clients, on the contrary they charge us thousands in business rates. Nor is there currently any help from our umbrella organisation the Trussell Trust, though we are always hopeful. During the summer it arranged donations from Tesco.

So there you have it, it is costing nearly a quarter of a million now to run the foodbank, and we need your donations of food and money and your volunteer time if you are over 18 and can commit to training and regular sessions.

Check the charity commission, our number is 1172880, and our own website for details: euston.foodbank.org.uk or email us on info@euston.foodbank.org.uk

We have distribution sessions on Tuesday: 12pm to 3.30pm, Thursday: 5.30pm to 7pm, Saturday and Sunday: 12pm to 1.30pm at 28 Phoenix Road, Kings Cross NW1 1TA.

  • Dorothea Hackman is chair of Camden Civic Society and chairs Euston Foodbank trustees.