Salisbury City Council is running a food drive on the Guildhall square after last year’s successful event.

Last year, “Big Help Out” was organised as part of the King’s coronation celebrations.

This year, it will run under the theme “lend a hand” and donations will go towards the city’s food projects, including Old Sarum and Longhedge Pantry, Salisbury Foodbank and Salisbury Pantry.

The council are urging people to “do your good deed for the day” and donate some food on the Guildhall square. Donations will be accepted by friendly volunteers between 10am - 3pm on Saturday, June 8.

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The months in-between Easter and Christmas, when drives are less frequent, can be a huge challenge for projects and charities.

Salisbury Pantry, run by Salisbury City Council, serves 120 households per week with nearly 400 households currently registered. At the pantry, a basic shop contains a minimum of 15 items of tinned or packaged food, which means they need to get a minimum of 7200 on their shelves every month.

Foodbank use nationally increased 4 per cent from the previous year according to the Trussell Trust recent year end statistics and locally, Salisbury Foodbank manager Maria Stevenson has said that Salisbury demand over the last 5 years has increased by 96 per cent.

Salisbury Journal: Big Help Out led by Salisbury City Council

Old Sarum and Longhedge Pantry, has been open for one year. This volunteer run pantry is also seeing more people each month, with 150 households registered for shopping and accessing space for a cup of tea and support.

Cllr Victoria Charleston, leader of Salisbury City Council, said: “I volunteered at last year’s Big Help Out and worked alongside a committed and enthusiastic team. I believe over 60 crates of food were collected, a testament to our generous residents.

“A year later, families across Salisbury still need support and I know our community will be generous enough to donate to the big help out again."

This year, the three food projects will be joined on the square by Acorn Community Bank, offering information about financial inclusion and the credit union service they provide and the F3 growing project, who provide fresh produce for the Salisbury Pantry, will be there to provide information on how you can volunteer.

This Big Help Out event is coordinated by Salisbury City Council communities team who can be reached at bhc@salisburycitycouncil.gov.uk.