A CHARITY which dishes out food to some of Oxford’s most vulnerable people is now providing more than 3,000 meals a week.

The Oxford Food Bank hands out £5,000 worth of food each week, up from £400 when it launched a year ago.

The charity, based in Lamarsh Road, Botley, has handed out a total of £250,000 worth of fruit, vegetables and baked goods.

It now boasts a 30-strong team of volunteers, including a number of students, and 12 volunteer van drivers.

On Friday Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood joined the birthday celebrations by helping volunteers sort food into boxes ahead of delivery.

Joint coordinator of the food bank David Cairns said the charity’s first year had been “remarkable”.

He said: “If someone had told me 12 months ago that we would be where we are now, I would have laughed.

“We are all delighted with how it has gone, and by the support we have received from all quarters.

“We are now operating at maximum capacity and are run off our feet, which is brilliant, so we always welcome new volunteers.

“We want to keep getting bigger so we can help more of Oxford’s most vulnerable people.”

The food, which is past its sell-by date but within its use-by date, comes from Sainsbury’s stores in Kidlington and Oxford’s Westgate Centre, as well as Bicester-based fruit and veg supplier Fresh Direct.

Among the 15 charities to benefit from food boxes are mental health centre The Mill, in Cowley Road; homeless centre The Gatehouse; Donnington Doorstep; Lucy Faithfull House; and Oxford Soup Kitchen.

Andrew Smith, from The Gatehouse, based in St Michaels Street, also works as a volunteer at the food bank’s depot.

He said: “The donations are saving us about £80 a week, which is a lot of money in these times.

“The food is nutritious and very good quality and is always appreciated by everyone at The Gatehouse. The deliveries have made a real difference to us.”

An estimated 1.6 million tonnes of food is dumped in landfill every year in the UK.

The food bank’s premises, which formerly housed Oxonian Rewley Press, have been donated rent-free by city businessman Pete Mills.

Miss Blackwood paid tribute to the charity’s work. She said: “It is fantastic. I am so impressed by this amazing group of people who use their free time to perform this vital service.

“The food is perfectly good to eat and the Oxford Food Bank not only helps some very vulnerable people, but also the environment by diverting waste from landfill.”