Foodbank hub set to expand to meet growing demand

Foodbank hub set to expand to meet growing demandJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleLia DesaiBBC CWRBBCIsla Stroyen, Fundraising Officer for the Stratford Foodbank, says the new premises will open in JuneA food bank in a Warwickshire town says it has seen demand for its services rise by around 70% since the pandemic.Stratford-Upon-Avon Foodbank, which is part of the Trussell Trust, is preparing to move to a larger unit within the Precision Business Centre on Masons Road. The building will act as a community hub - housing a warehouse, distribution sessions, and support services under one roof for the first time.The move from its current base at the Fred Winter Centre is expected to take place by mid-April, with it opening for clients by June 2026.The new site is hoped to support the expansion of the charity and the rising demand for services across Stratford and surrounding villages.Work is underway at the Precision Business centre to give the foodbank a new centre of operationsRecent figures from the Trussell Trust revealed that nationally, 2.6 million food parcels were handed out in 2025. In the UK, this shows a 45% increase compared to figures from 2019.In Stratford, 5356 parcels were provided, which is up 70% compared with pre-pandemic levels. Fundraising Officer for Stratford Foodbank, Isla Stroyen, says they believe there are more people in the area not coming for help.They said: "The tricky thing about lots of parts of Warwickshire is there's lots of rural poverty which can be quite hidden. There still is a great shame and stigma about coming to a food bank and we know that there are people who need our services but who don't come to us, which is a big part of why we wanted this space."Last year we provided 5,356 parcels to people in Stratford and the surrounding villages, which is absolutely astronomical to be honest. We really don't want to see that level of need in our town. That's why we're working really hard to...