A FOODBANK which was created due to growing numbers of hungry people accessing support services for help is set to benefit hundreds following its opening.

Stephanie Peacock, who represents Barnsley South, recently attended the opening of St Helen’s Church Food Pantry in Thurnscoe, alongside the Mayor of Barnsley Dave Leech and local councillors.

The food pantry - dubbed ‘vital’ by leaders - will offer food products for local people to buy at heavily discounted rates which would otherwise have gone to waste.

This new service is being offered every Monday between 10am and 12pm and will run alongside the regular Monday coffee morning offered by the church, on High Street.

Stephanie told the Chronicle: “It was lovely to attend the grand opening of St Helen’s Church Good Food Pantry in Thurnscoe alongside the Mayor of Barnsley and local councillors.

“This is an excellent initiative, offering good food at discounted rates for local people to enjoy, as well as ensuring that food waste in the area is reduced.

“Thank you to Reverend Sarah Maughan and all the volunteers at St Helen’s Church for welcoming me recently, and for the work that has been put into ensuring the food pantry can serve the local community.”

Stephanie, whose constituency is the worst-impacted in the town for food poverty, praised foodbank staff for their invaluable work.

“Foodbank usage has sadly increased over the last decade,” she added.

“The Labour government is determined to tackle poverty at its root cause.

“I know all the staff and volunteers at foodbank centres work hard to support the community and I want to take this opportunity to thank them for all their efforts.

“Families in Barnsley and across the country are struggling under the strain of poverty and food insecurity.

“Over 15,000 children live in poverty in Barnsley and foodbanks reported a 46 per cent rise in children needing food parcels.

“In Barnsley South, 25 per cent of under-15s live in poverty - this is a shocking statistic, a quarter of children in our local area are growing up in poverty.

“Regional inequalities in poverty like these are more likely to have detrimental impacts on children’s mental and physical health, education, and prospects of moving out of poverty in the future.

“We know that to reduce food poverty, we need to reduce overall poverty rates.”

Council-run, the new Thurnscoe facility is under the Good Food Pantry banner, adding to the growing network of hubs across the borough.

Pantries don’t make a profit, with money made from sales being used to cover the costs of running these spaces, including buying varied good food to choose from.

Coun Wendy Cain, cabinet spokesperson for public health and communities, said: “We know that many people are having issues due to the current cost of living and in Barnsley we’re committed to supporting those households and residents who need it.

“As part of this support, our pantries provide sustainable and affordable food to local communities and are open to all.

“The new opening at St Helen’s is a fantastic addition to what we have across the borough.

“It will make it easier for local households and families to access affordable, quality food.

“Our goal is to help people live happy, healthy lives and ensure everyone has access to affordable, quality food.

“It’s wonderful to see another Good Food Pantry opening in Barnsley - this will be a great addition to our expanding network of pantries, which have already supported numerous families by providing affordable and high-quality food..”