An Islington food bank has been forced to reduce the number of people it serves by nearly half.
Mildmay Community Centre announced last week that it would have to make a “tough choice” and shrink its catchment area by more than 43%, due to rising demand and declining donations.
Lorraine O’Leary began managing Mildmay’s ‘food hub’ at the start of the pandemic. She said the closure of a neighbouring food bank at the Richcross Centre last month had exacerbated the strain on her team.
Ms O’Leary added that she recently received referrals from 25 households in one week; the average is typically three per week.
While the centre previously catered to a large number of people from neighbouring areas, it can now only accommodate residents of Mildmay ward.
This comes as the latest adjustment in an ongoing struggle to stay open, after Islington Council withdrew support for the food bank two years ago – citing an alleged lack of funding.
Since then, Mildmay’s food hub has largely been run as a cooperative, meaning families who can contribute are asked to pay £1 per head.
Additionally, it receives some support from local organisations, including Edible London.
Ms O’Leary and the team at Mildmay Community Centre are hopeful that scaling back its operations will enable the food bank to stay open through the coming winter.
