THE Redditch food bank team has managed to move into a larger space to cope with a huge surge in demand due to the coronavirus crisis.

The Acts of Kindness food bank has found a new home on Church Green East at the former offices of property agency John Truslove.

The food bank, which has around 50 volunteers, was launched in 2011 with a number of trustees from churches within Redditch, after seeing the challenging circumstances faced by some people in the town.

It had been running from distribution centres at St Stephen’s in Redditch and The Link at Winyates Centre, but it became clear that more space was needed in a more central location.

The food bank says initial indications suggest that some people have approached the foodbank for the first time during the coronavirus outbreak. 

Foodbank manager Rev Ian Evans said:

"In March we fed 347 people (208 Adults, 139 children) that is up on the equivalent period last year.

"We hold reserves to keep us going through a crisis with ongoing donations which were good throughout March, but will need to continue. 

“The new premises gives us more space than we had across our previous two sites and is also much more central meaning people can get to us and access our service more easily.

“It wasn’t planned but it has happened at the best possible time – demand has surged to an unprecedented level in the last month.”

Ben Truslove, joint managing director of John Truslove, said: “No one had any idea what was coming when the Acts of Kindness team first started looking for new premises, but we wholeheartedly support the work they have done over the years and were only too happy to help them find a more suitable base of operations.

“That move has proved unexpectedly fortuitous – both for the food bank and for those who need its services. People in Redditch are rightly proud of the work the food bank does and have shown that in practical terms with donations."