Food banks are in crisis as they struggle to satisfy growing demand.

The impact of the recession is rippling through families across the country, with some reportedly resorting to shoplifting food to feed their children.

While appeals for non-perishable produce are being made by food banks to meet increasing demand, other organisations are trying to remedy the situation in the long term by investigating ways families can become self-sufficient by growing their own food.

Holme Christian Community based in Holme Wood, one of Bradford’s largest social housing estates, has seen demand at its food bank, the King’s Pantry, increase at an alarming rate over the past few months. Those involved in running it fear the situation will only get worse.

Like many organisations distributing food parcels, the King’s Pantry is constantly appealing for people to donate tinned food and other non-perishables such as pasta to provide sustenance for those who desperately need it, but the charity is also keen to be part of a project to help local people learn the basics to grow their own.

David Wilford, the charity’s chief executive, says they are looking at devoting part of the garden within the grounds of Holme Christian Church to growing vegetables and, with the help of experts such as Carlton Smith, chief executive of Bradford Community Environment Project (BCEP), pass on knowledge and expertise for local people to grow produce for their plates.

Carlton explains that the aim is to set up a food growing group on the site “to help people to re-kindle their food growing skills”. Site preparation would start during the winter in time for planting out in the spring.

Carlton says in the longer term the scheme hopes to produce enough surplus to support the church’s nursery and cafe with locally-grown produce.

“It is a good way to save money and invest a bit of time into getting a bag of vegetables which you can pretty much do throughout the year,” says Carlton.

Established in 1996 to promote sustainable, urban regeneration, BCEP continues to assist people to grow their own food, promote healthy eating and environmental education. It also supports voluntary-run food co-operatives and community grocers throughout the district and runs cooking and eating sessions to encourage people to live healthily and save money by preparing home-cooked meals.

The burgeoning waiting lists for allotments throughout the district are indicative of the demand for growing your own. “There is a steady increase in people looking to grow their own and coming to groups because we run monthly allotment sessions for people just starting off,” explains Carlton.

“All it costs is a bit of time and effort and a small investment into seeds.”

Carlton envisages the pressure on families will get worse. “There are more costs and restrictions of benefits and a review of all that so I think the squeeze will continue,” he says.

David talks of a successful community enterprise in Yorkshire which led to a flower growing business blooming online, indicating how small initiatives can, potentially, help people out of the poverty trap.

“It’s really important because if we can create employment as well we are taking somebody off the unemployment queue,” he says.

One of the knock-on effects of the recession is supplying jobs to meet the demand for employment.

One of the factors affecting unemployment is ‘bumping’ when graduates, who would normally seek highly-paid careers, seek minimum wage jobs simply so they can start earning and climbing the career ladder, curtailing employment opportunities for those who would normally go for lower-paid jobs.

“At the moment you have got graduates and the highly-skilled going for the minimum wage, it is blocking the market,” says David.

l For more information about the King’s Pantry or to donate food, call (01274) 689306.