Churches across North and Mid Wales have announced they will be raising money for a foodbank charity in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
Diocese of St Asaph is one of six dioceses which make up the Church in Wales and covers the counties of Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham, half of Conwy and part of Gwynedd and Powys.
This year the diocese has announced they will be raising money for Trussel Trust which runs eight foodbanks in northeast and mid-Wales in Wrexham, Mold, the Vale of Clwyd, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Pensarn, Oswestry (which covers the Welsh borders), Welshpool and offers satellite distribution and collection depots in smaller towns and communities.
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The Church Engagement Manager for the Trussell Trust, Rachael Anderson, told the meeting of the Diocesan Conference that the demand for foodbanks had grown in recent years, while donations have gone down.
She said: “We are seeing more people than ever before having to turn to the Trussell Trust and foodbanks for help. Interestingly we are seeing more and more working people whose incomes just aren’t enough to meet their basis spends. We are hearing terrible stories of children whose feet are hurting as their parents can’t afford shoes for them.
“I think one of the things we have learnt from the pandemic is that people’s circumstances can change at any time, and they can change very quickly. Because the cost of living has been rising very quickly over the past decade, people’s salaries support their lives and there’s not a lot left for saving so when circumstances change it can lead them into desperation very quickly. It’s led to the situation where there are more foodbanks across the UK than there are branches of McDonald's.”
Many churches across the diocese already support the work of the Trussell Trust with foodbanks operating from church premises. At St Mark’s Church in Caia Park in Wrexham, the foodbank opens every Tuesday from 12.30-2pm.
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At St Peter’s Church in Holywell, the foodbank opens every Wednesday from 2pm – 3.30pm. Other churches act as collection points for people to donate tinned items and other non-perishable food.
Rachael added: “The Trussell Trust runs so many campaigns throughout the year that church congregations can back, but the most important thing is to pray. I would encourage churches to pray for our vision that we will live in a world where everyone can afford the essentials and the Trussell Trust no longer needs to exist.”
Churches will be raising money through a series of events as well as collecting food donations, offering volunteers, campaigning for an end to food poverty and praying for the work of the charity.
Rachael’s interview for the St Asaph Diocesan Conference.
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