Drimoleague food bank aims to keep food on local tables

A NEW food bank in West Cork is hoping to connect with families and individuals who are finding it hard to put food on the table every day.

Feed West Cork is being run by volunteers based at Drimoleague Methodist Church and is offering free weekly hampers with essential food items for collection.

The organisation, which was established on May 28th, has received a lot of start-up help thanks to Feed Cork, a food bank that began in Cork city four years ago.

Bandon has also set up a food bank within the last six months and the two centres, combined, help over 100 people each week.

One of the volunteers, Esther Kingston, told The Southern Star that during lockdown a few people in the Methodist church were exploring ideas of how they could serve the local and wider community.

‘Inspired by the example of Jesus who fed the hungry, we planned to open a food bank in Drimoleague,’ said Esther.

Food poverty is an issue for about 10% of people in Ireland yet some people feel too embarrassed to ask for help.

‘Any one of us, from any walk of life, might need a helping hand from time to time,’ said Esther. 

‘The financial pressures in a home can come from many different sources, such as the high cost of rent, childcare, or indeed unemployment. There are lots of reasons why a family might struggle to find the money to buy food.

‘We know that children are particularly affected when food is scarce and with children at home a lot more during the pandemic family food bills were much larger than usual,’ she added.

Feed West Cork is also working with Food Cloud, an organisation that partners with local supermarkets and businesses to distribute surplus food.

‘This helps to eliminate food waste as well as making nutritious food available to those who need it,’ said Esther.

To book a free hamper, phone or text Esther on 087 2879118 by Thursday evening.

Those collecting hampers can go to the new church extension in Drimoleague between 2pm to 3:30pm on Fridays.