North Ceredigion’s only foodbank has issued an appeal for volunteers after it handed out 42 food packs in the week before Christmas, with hand-outs growing by 70 per cent this December compared to last year.

Donations for the Jubilee Storehouse foodbank - run by St Anne’s Church, Penparcau and Llanychaearn Church, Rhydyfelin – has been “overwhelming” this year, organisers have said, as the number of people being given support rises.

Organiser Malcolm Dye said that, throughout 2019, the foodbank volunteers prepared and issued 972 food packs, up 26 per cent from 2018 when 771 were issued.

In the week before Christmas, busy volunteers issued 42 food packs for people and families in need, including 17 in just one day – the most the foodbank has ever handed out.

During the whole of December, 112 food packs were issued, compared with 66 over the same period in 2018.

Mr Dye said the Jubilee Storehouse foodbank had been “overwhelmed” by people’s generosity, and wanted to “thank profusely everyone who has donated food or money”.

“Even before Christmas was on the horizon we were seeing an increase in demand,” he said.

“Happily, the increase in demand was matched by a generous increase at all our donation points so we did not run short of food.

“The week before Christmas we had to empty the Tesco trolley twice every day.

“But the increase is greatly stretching our current volunteers to the point where it has become difficult to continue as we are.

“In short, we need more of them.

“If someone has as little as an hour or so a week or as much as half a day or more, we’d greatly appreciate the help.”

For more information about the foodbank, and to volunteer, contact Malcolm Dye via email at [email protected].See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online on Wednesday