Cardiff Food Bank was started over 10 years ago and demand has grown consistently. Last year over 15,500 people, a third of them children, received help. Overall, the Bank supplied 140,000 meals. The demand for food parcels will almost certainly grow significantly over the next 12 months.

However, Rotary Clubs and individual Rotary members in Cardiff have supported the Food Bank for many years. During the covid pandemic, we have provided volunteers, collected food donations and given at least £3,000 to help with the Food Bank's running costs. Food poverty is the target of a long-term Rotary commitment and several new ideas are being explored, not all with the Food Bank. However, more needs to be done for the Food Bank now.

Generous public donations mean that food supply is not a problem, but there are two major financial challenges.

Most important, the Food Bank desperately needs to move to a bigger warehouse.The covid distancing requirements have made matters much more difficult but the current warehouse is simply too small and the Bank is reliant on temporary overflow sites. As demand rises, it will be almost impossible to meet it with existing facilities, resulting in families going hungry.

There will be significant costs in fitting out the new warehouse. It will need racking, equipment, setting up or adapting office facilities as well as the inevitable legal costs. This is the main target of the Rotary in Cardiff Food Bank Appeal.

A lesser problem is the replacement of one of the two vans used to collect food from supermarkets, churches and schools. The Food Bank has raised enough money to purchase a new electric van. It will , however, require a charging point, which, with internal fittings for the van, means there is still a shortfall, albeit relatively small.

We have offered to raise £15,000 to meet these two one-off challenges; completing the procurement of the new van and more importantly, meeting the major costs of the move to a new warehouse. If you would like to Gift Aid your donation, please e-mail harris.p11@sky.com and a form will be sent to you for completion and return.