CLOSE to 400 vulnerable members of the community have received vital assistance since the Peebles foodbank opened its doors in September 2013. 

This weekend, the local Tesco supermarket in the town will hold a collection for the group. And with demand for its services soaring over the past year, Chair of Trustees for the foodbank Jim Benton-Evans tells the Peeblesshire News that the need for donations is greater than ever.

“Since we opened in September 2013, we have fed 383 people, as of yesterday. Of which one hundred of those were children," he said.

“We are at a stage now where we are seeing -certainly over the last 6 months- a noticeable increase. We have moved from three to four parcels a week, to five to six a week, on average."

As a comparative snapshot, in the month of May this year, the foodbank helped 25 people. In the same month last year, it helped seven. Over one million (1,084,064) people have received emergency three day support across the UK in 2014/15, according to recent figures from the Trussell Trust. That is up from 913,318 in 2013/14.

Mr Benton-Evans, who is Rector of St Peter’s Church, puts the rise down to a combination of factors. “We are seeing increased numbers of people who are coming to us because of changes to their benefit. It either means they are transitioning from one benefit to another – if they have been on disability living allowance, they've had an assessment, come off that and moved to Jobseeskers. Or they have come out of work for whatever reason and into Jobseekers.

“Universal Credit has made a significant difference too. Now, there is a much greater onus on clients to manage their money on a longer term basis. Some of the people we see, understandably, live more chaotic lifestyles and find that more challenging than perhaps you or I would. They might be drug or alcohol dependent.

“We are seeing increasing numbers of people being sanctioned too. For not signing on when they had a job interview on the same day, or a whole host of other reasons. That is having an enormous impact.”

There has been a suggestion in some sections of the national media and even from senior cabinet members that easier access to foodbanks has exacerbated the problem.  Mr Benton-Evans rejects that as a false narrative. “We partner with 26 individual support agencies, and we operate on a 100 per cent referral basis,” he said. People can't just turn up and present at the foodbank and demand food. “There needs to be an existing relationship with someone like either Citizens Advice Bureau, Scottish Borders Council, or one of the other statutory and charitable sector agencies with whom we work.

“We are a Trussell Trust foodbank, and we operate under their protocols. They are very explicit that what we are doing is offering an emergency response to a crisis situation. The purpose of our foodbank is explicitly not to sustain people in an ongoing way. We are there to respond to an immediate crisis, when something has gone badly wrong.”

Mr Benton-Evans said the majority of people who require the services of the foodbank in Peebles are one time visitors. One particular incident just before Christmas last year stands out to him.

“There was a lovely young family who came in to see us, a young couple and a baby. She was just about to start a job, her partner had just finished his job.

“The support that they had received had ran out, which as you can imagine is tough at that time of year. So we were able to support them for a week or two, and then as soon as she was paid, they turned up with two enormous shopping bags full of food as a donation.

“I really want to emphasise this, we aren't seeing scroungers or the work shy, or people who are looking for a free ride. We are seeing people who are in desperate desperate need. Proud people who want to work. People who -for a whole range of reasons- have fallen through the social net that used to be there.

“These people have a real part to play, if they could only get a chance. Part of what foodbanks are about is giving people temporary help over a real crisis and to give them a chance to play a full role in society again.”

The relationship between Trussell Trust and Tesco is part of a national agreement. Between July 2 to 4, all UK Tesco stores will be hosting a food collection for either a Trussell Trust foodbank or their partner charity, FareShar.

“The personal relationship we have with Tesco in Peebles has been going on for 18 months,” explained Mr Benton-Evans. “There is a permanent collection point there, which means not only do we get regular donations which are very welcome, but also that we have a permanent presence in the community. “I can't thank the people of Peebles enough for their ongoing generosity. They overwhelm us every single time with the amount they donate, and the amount they are prepared to do for us as well.”

The Tesco collection for the Peebles foodbank is on today (Friday) and Saturday, July 4.

Donations can also be left at the back of St Peter's Church, on the Eastgate, during daylight hours, or via the foodbank's office at Suite 2, 2 Rowan Court, Cavalry Park, Peebles.