BRIDPORT: Offers of help have been pouring in following the News story about the rise in use of food banks.

The Rev Andrew Evans and wife Chris operate the charity Cupboard Love, which provides food and runs ‘Walk-in Wednesdays’ in St Mary’s Church in South Street.

The News reported two weeks ago how much the need had increased in the town – and since then the charity has had more than £1,200 in donations.

Mrs Evans said: “Normally in this period we get through the door about £500 in dribs and drabs and we have already had £1,290.

“We have had offers of financial and practical help from Churches Together in Bridport, Brit Valley Rotary has offered us £1,000 and to help in any way it can.

“It looks like Morrisons supermarket is going to let us have a collection box at its store.

“Comedian Tom Glover has turned up at our daughter’s house with 10 chocolate advent calendars.

“And this has all happened within a week and a half.”

Chris said she expected the charity would be getting emergency calls for help right up until Christmas Eve.

She said: “People’s lives can change on a sixpence and it is devastating.

“No-one is immune, stuff can happen.

“We will get emergency calls right up to Christmas Eve, requests from victims of domestic violence when something will have kicked off in the home.”

She said the response of townspeople to the charity had been wonderful.

She said: “Bridport has a huge heart and my experience is all you have to do is tell Bridport what you need and they give it to you.

“Bridport is just incredibly generous and people care and that’s great.

“Our ‘Walk-in Wednesdays’ provide a safe place. People have been very emotional because they are beginning to think about Christmas and how they are going to cope.

“And they come there sometimes there is tears but we can help them.

“I just wish we didn’t have to do it.

“The group that we are not meeting is the elderly, partly because some can’t get out and they don’t want to use the food banks – it is outside their lives' experience but that is a sadness.

“I am sure they are there.”

  • The Bishop of Salisbury, the Right Rev Nicholas Holtam, has welcomed a landmark report called Emergency Use Only, into foodbanks by the Church of England and a coalition of charities. He said it’s finding that many people in work are forced to use foodbanks due to problems with tax credit payments and are challenging our perceptions of poverty.