OXFORDSHIRE food banks have rejected the suggestion they should get Government funding despite an ever-increasing demand.

Food banks across the county are preparing for their busiest time of year, but said they were coping without Government help.

Food bank volunteers spoke after Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby called for state-backed food banks over the weekend.

Our top stories

Oxford Food Bank rescues food that would otherwise be thrown away from city supermarkets and delivers it to about 60 Oxford charities.

Founder David Cairns, awarded an MBE for his work this year, said: “We have a unique model, in that we go every day to pick up good food from supermarkets and deliver it straight to charities that feed people.

“We are an excellent example of people coming together from all different backgrounds to volunteer, and we fail to understand why this model cannot be replicated across the country.

“We have never taken money from the Government and our example says you don’t need Government help.”

He said Oxford Food Bank should exist in any economic climate, because, with the size of the UK’s food industry, some waste was inevitable.

He said the amount Government could do to legislate against supermarket waste was limited, but even one per cent of waste across the UK was a “huge” amount that some people could benefit from.

Wallingford Emergency Food Bank now hands out food parcels to 800 people a year, double the number from when it was founded in 2011.

But founder Neville Burt, who runs the service with his wife Jean, rejected the idea of Government support.

He said: “I don’t think I want the Government to get involved with us – as soon as they do there would be too many forms to fill out, we just want to help people. There will always be a need in society and we are doing our bit to fill that need.

“Not everyone is good at working the benefit system – some people come in and you have to point to the bit of the form where they have to sign.”

He said the limiting factor at Wallingford Emergency Food Bank was not finding donations but finding the people who needed help.

He said: “It is about finding those people in need and helping them overcome pride barriers. Some would rather starve than go to a food bank.

“There was one guy who was self-employed with a young daughter and his wife suddenly died.

“He was left looking after his baby and unable to carry on his job. He had to go through the process of getting benefits in place, and he said he just never thought he would have to do that.”

Writing in the Daily Mail on Monday, Oxford Food Bank co-founder Robin Aitken said he did not support the idea of state-backed food banks.

He added: “We should celebrate the fact that we have food banks – they show we still care. But chucking public money at them will not make them better – it will merely engulf them in an already over-extended welfare state.

“Politicians should butt out. If they want to help, they should encourage people to harness the compassion of their communities to set up independent, sustainable food banks.”

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.