Food bank appeals for help due to soaring demand

The leader of a Boston food bank says the need for their service has remained “persistently high” and is appealing for help.

Father David Stevenson, the rector of St Botolph’s Church, also known as Boston Stump, where the food bank is based, said the facility was “a lifeline for people”.

The appeal comes at a time when extra costs associated with heating homes can lead to an increase in people needing help, he said.

Boston Food Bank is part of The Trussell Trust, which runs a network across the UK. The food bank said it had seen record levels of need in the past year.

“People are struggling to afford both food and heating”, Fr Stevenson said.

“That’s a very common experience in Boston, as in lots of other places.”

The food bank said it sees peaks and troughs in numbers throughout the year, but added there had been an overall increase in people needing support in 2025.

“Last week, we reached our 3,000th person for this calendar year…. which included nearly 1,000 children living in poverty,” Fr Stevenson said.

As part of the food bank’s harvest appeal, it asked for donations of non perishable items and things that can be easily made into a meal such as dry pasta, bags of rice, and tinned meals.

Alina used the food bank last year following a referral from Centrepoint Outreach in Boston.

She was new to the area and received help from the facility until financial and living arrangements were put in place.

Alena now volunteers at the food bank once a week.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to feel like I did and be anxious about not being able to eat,” she said.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.