Mansfield food banks running low in stock blame benefit issues

Both The Beacon Project based at St John's Centre in Mansfield and Trussell Trust run St Peter's Food Bank on Rock Valley, Mansfield are running low on stocks.

A spokesman for the Trussell Trust said: "Due to the increase in the numbers of people seeking help from us, as they struggle with Universal Credit, our warehouse is almost empty.

"We urgently need: coffee, tinned fish and meat, tinned fruit, rice pudding, tinned vegetables and potatoes,long life milk, pasta sauce, rice, squash and cereals."

Universal Credit has been rolled out in areas since 2017 and was launched in Mansfield in September 2018.

And affected most people who are on benefits including income support, housing benefit and child tax credit.

Universal Credits means that people usually get a single payment each month, rather than weekly or fortnightly.

The Trussell Trust said that this change of payment caused 70 per cent of people they asked to be in debt.

Donations can be made at The Stables Centre, St Edmund's Church, Mansfield Woodhouse, 1.30pm to 3.30pm Monday's and Tuesday's and The Stanhope Centre, Bridge Street Church, Mansfield, 12.30pm to 2.30pm on Wednesday's.

A spokesman for The Beacon Project said: "We are really low on food again, we are seeing an increase in people needing food parcels due to issues with their benefits and as usual this is the time of year when we struggle most as the influx of donations we had over Christmas has run out.

"We will really appreciate canned meat or fish, rice pudding, tinned fruit, biscuits, cereal or cereal bars, long life milk, beans, soup etc.

The foodbank can accept donations between 10.30am and 2pm Tuesday's, Wednesday's or Friday's.