Lanarkshire food bank sees Christmas usage up by over 40 per cent as cost of living crisis hits hard

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Festive usage of a Lanarkshire food bank has leapt up in just a year as the cost of living crisis hits locals hard.Rutherglen and Cambuslang food bank have seen an increase of over 40 per cent in usage this winter compared to the previous year, and have faced the most demand they have ever seen.

Workers at the community resource have issued an heartfelt thanks for the support they've received in the past few months, saying they have been "astounded" at the amount of help given.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android However they confirmed that numbers have soared thanks to increased fuel and utility bills.A total of 1830 had used the food bank by the end of December, compared to 1300 at this date in 2021.Food bank convenor Heather Buchan told Lanarkshire Live: "There has been an increase of more than 40 per cent in the number of people coming to the food bank compared to the same period last year. "In fact, during October we had our busiest single month since the foodbank opened back in December 2013."The foodbank has been able to meet this increased demand as there has also been an increase in the volume of donations received in the last few months."We are very grateful to everyone in the local community who contributes to the foodbank – all the schools, churches, local businesses, community groups and