his is the time of year when we tend to feel the after-effects of significant expenditure over the festive period.

Regardless of the credit crunch, most of us will have bought Christmas presents for family and friends.

But how many of us are tramping back to the shops after the festivities to return or swap gifts, either because they don’t work, we’ve got three others the same, or they don’t fit!

We head into shops already crammed with other shoppers doing the same thing, or taking advantage of seasonal sales.

Imagine being able to boycott all this, help others and increasing your feelgood factor at the same time?

The impact of the credit crunch has hit many voluntary organisations hard but there are ways we can help to boost their rapidly-depleting stock.

Four years ago, Lashman Singh set up the Bradford Metropolitan Food Bank. A builder by profession, he has been building bridges in Bradford communities for the best part of 17 years since he started his first community-based initiative for those in need, the Bradford Curry Project.

Lashman launched the project after seeing at firsthand the plight of homeless people while working as a volunteer for Bradford Day Shelter, run by Horton Housing Association.

The Curry Project, which provides hot meals for the homeless and others in need on a drop-in basis, has always had an inclusive ethos – the idea is to help everyone, regardless of race or religion. Lashman says it’s called the Curry Project because curry is a general Asian term for food, in the same way that a soup kitchen is a generic term for somewhere that serves hot food. Once the Curry Project was launched, Lashman’s voluntary work on Sundays led to a few nights each week, helping to prepare and serve a wide range of meals to those who turned up to be fed.

However, Lashman was aware of those out of reach, the ones struggling to scrimp together the bus fare just to get there, so the Bradford Metropolitan Food Bank was born.

The Food Bank differs from the Curry Project in that it’s not a drop-in service. It delivers food parcels, made up of donated non-perishables, to the needy in the city and around the district.

But four years since its inception, it is becoming a victim of its own success.

With a wider section of people to reach and many more mouths to feed – a knock-on effect of the credit crunch – the shelves that were once stacked with donated food and toiletries are becoming bare, which is why Lashman needs your help.

“The credit crunch has affected us. We have sent out more food parcels than normal,” says Lashman.

The food is distributed from the Food Bank’s Bradford base to families and individuals in need. Food parcels are distributed by community organisations including Bradford Citizens’ Advice Bureau, Bradford Nightstop, which provides emergency accommodation for homeless young people, and Connexions, for the 13 to 19-year-olds seeking advice and support..

In gratitude for regular food parcel supplies passed to young people seeking advice and support through its service, Connexions Bradford recently handed over a £501 cheque to the Food Bank.

Barbara Howerska, a personal adviser with Connexions Bradford who co-ordinates collection of food parcels for its service, says they are given out to young people in emergency situations who attend a daily drop-in.

“It is absolutely crucial,” says Barbara. “We get a lot of young people who have not managed to successfully claim job seekers’ allowance; they may be just staying with friends, sleeping on their sofa. We get homeless people and people who are roofless.

They come into Connexions because we offer a range of services. There is a lot of need. There is such a lot of poverty and a lot of people in desperate circumstances but we are not the only organisation who rely on the Food Bank. It is a vital service.”

Barbara acknowledges that while the Food Bank is well-supported, demand is increasing. “The demand goes up and up so at this time of year the shelves get empty,” she says.

A surge in demand for family food parcels has meant rapidly-depleting stocks. Goods received from last year’s harvest festival collections at Bradford churches and schools have now been distributed and, other than the food donated by a local company, the Food Bank relies on public donations which, in the current climate, are beginning to dwindle.

The Food Bank’s Helen Bradshaw says demand doubled following the first quarter of last year compared to the previous year. On average 200 parcels are sent out over eight to ten weeks.

Tinned meat and fish, coffee and sugar are some of the essential items needed to stock the parcels. Lashman says there is also a demand for baby food.

“Volunteers pick the food up – but there is nothing for them to pick up,” says Lashman, who hopes to eventually set up food collection points at all Bradford’s religious establishments to help boost stocks. In the meantime, he’s appealing to the people of the district to donate the un-used food they purchased for Christmas and any unwanted toiletries.

“If somebody can’t afford basic foodstuffs they can’t afford toothpaste or soap,” says Lashman.

He is appealing for people to recycle any unwanted Christmas presents by donating them to the Food Bank. If you find you over-shopped for the festivities and have surplus non-perishable food, that would also be appreciated.

“We need donations all year round not just for Christmas and harvest festivals,” says Helen. “Demand is always there for food parcels through the year, and in terms of the credit crunch we are expecting even bigger demand.”

Says Lashman: “You need spirit in people. There is a lot of doom and gloom but if you can give that tiny amount, there is a feelgood factor.

“When you get a phone call that a family needs a food parcel and you are making that food parcel up, it’s a feeling I cannot describe. You have helped somebody. It’s the satisfaction of helping others.”

  • To find out more about the Bradford Metropolitan Food Bank or to offer help call (01274) 521028 or 542672 or 07939 088403.