Weymouth Foodbank has been gifted a new warehouse which will save the charity thousands of pounds in rent - as demand for the service more than doubles.
Commercial property developer DJ Property is providing the foodbank with a new, larger warehouse free of charge to allow them to 'continue their good work'.
It comes after the foodbank helped 57 per cent more people in 2023 than in 2022. This follows an increase of 68 per cent from 2021.
READ: Weymouth Foodbank figures reveal huge rise in demand
The foodbank had a total 7,148 referrals last year which included 2,106 referrals for families, 1,425 couples and 3,617 single people - in comparison to 4,547 in 2022.
In total, 14,156 people (including more than 3,000 children) - which equates to 81,594 meals - were helped in Weymouth in 2023.
The new warehouse, which is located on 10a Cambridge Road, on the Granby Industrial Estate, would have cost the foodbank around £27,000 a year in rent. The service was previously at a smaller base in Albany Road.
Mickey Jones of DJ Property said: “The local community are facing such uncertain times and over the past few years we have seen a growing demand for Weymouth Foodbank.
"It is important to support these charities so they can continue their good work in the local community.
"It gives DJ Property pleasure to support this charity by providing a substantial unit in support of the local community.
"Weymouth Foodbank is very well managed and converts a very high proportion of its donations directly into food for its beneficiaries. This efficiency is a key reason why DJ Property has chosen to support this charity.”
Due to the soar in demand, the foodbank is relying more and more on ordering in food, as whilst donations are still coming in, they simple cannot keep up with the demand without buying in produce.
A new warehouse has meant the service is now capable of taking bigger deliveries from food suppliers.
Jean Paul Dervley, chair of Weymouth Foodbank said: “We are so grateful to DJ Property for providing us with an even better warehouse for us to operate from.
"We need a base to collect the food, sort it, store it and deliver to our three Foodbank locations."
READ: Feature: Weymouth Foodbank Christmas demand soars
He added: "As a result of the cost of living crisis, demand for our services increased by 57% last year. We are therefore having to buy a lot of food to supplement the food donations we receive.
"We needed a warehouse like this to be able to take delivery of bulk deliveries. The warehouse provided by DJ Property is perfect for our current needs.
"We work hard to minimise our costs so that we can use as much of our donations as possible to buy food to feed hungry people.
"The provision of this warehouse makes a significant contribution to us achieving this. We would like to say a big thank you to DJ Property and all our generous donors.”
To find out more about Weymouth Foodbank visit www.weymouthfoodbank.co.uk
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