A BRADFORD food bank has revealed it is helping almost 25 per cent more families now than it did last year.

Bradford Central Foodbank, located in Stott Hill in the city centre, helped feed 3,864 people from 1,793 households over the past 12 months. Of this number, 1,367 were children.

These figures are up 23 per cent from the previous year, and the food bank relies on donations from the public, schools, places of worship and businesses to provide food to people living in poverty.

Foodbank manager Josie Barlow told the T&A: “Bradfordians should be proud of themselves for their generosity. We are giving away around £900 worth of food every week and none of this would be possible without kind donations.”

Ms Barlow said that about half the food bank’s clients needed to use their services because of changes to the benefits system.

She said: “Changes to people’s benefits typically come with delays of several weeks where people are stuck without any money coming in so we help them through that emergency period. We are also seeing more people sanctioned for one reason or another and losing their benefits for long periods of time.”

Other reasons people turned to the food bank included health problems and homelessness, she said.

One person helped by the food bank spoke about how the support she received helped her to eat and get back on her feet.

She said: “I was really struggling. I had been in a coma and was really poorly. I’d fallen out with my family and I’d not eaten for three days. It was my local MP, Imran Hussain, who told me to go to Foodbank. I contacted them, they told me to come down and I got a parcel.

She added: “Speaking to volunteers gave me the confidence to go and get a job too.

“As well as working, I also I volunteer Wednesday and Friday in the food bank too - it’s like going to see your friends.

“If it wasn’t for Foodbank I wouldn’t be here.”

The food bank’s Scott Hill base unveiled new signs yesterday donated by XPO Logistics, a delivery firm based at the top of the M606.

Ms Barlow said: “They had a massive collection of food for us from their staff just before Christmas and since then we’ve become one of their three charities of the year.

“The signs are great because we have never really had anything in place before to make clear where we are - we used to get people calling us to say they couldn’t find us! Now we have two new signs that will make it easier for those who need our help.”

To donate or volunteer, email info@bradfordcentral.foodbank.org.uk.