The Kensington and Chelsea Food Bank has seen a sharp drop in donations since the lockdown – although more people are using the service.
Donations are down by a third, but the board is struggling to cope with increased demand after the London floods.
The blackboard is in dire need of staples like deodorant, long-life milk, and coffee after torrential rains caused Notting Hill residents to waste massive amounts of water.
Food bank organizer and St. Helen’s Ward councilor Portia Thaxter has raised concerns that donations will be forgotten as the world reopens.
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Empty shelves in the Kensington and Chelsea Food Bank
(Image: Portia Thaxter)
She said, “Many people have mental health problems or are homeless or unemployed.
“It’s gotten worse since the end of the lockdown. Many people no longer donate as they used to. “
At the height of the pandemic, Kensington and Chelsea Food Bank saw 40 to 50 people receiving donations every day.
Now about 100 people use the blackboard every week, but donations are falling, resulting in empty shelves in the storage unit.
Previously, Cllr Thaxter and her colleagues saw a large number of donations, including vans full of supplies from supermarkets.
But now the table urgently needs hygiene items such as shower gel, shampoo and toilet paper, and there is also a lack of honey, jam, cooking oil, fruit juice and pasta sauces.
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Cllr Thaxter urges residents and organizations to continue to support the blackboard following the floods across the district that have resulted in an increase in blackboard users.
She said, “I think people’s needs have increased. We have seen Grenfell, the pandemic, and now we have seen floods.
“Donations keep getting smaller as the lockdown ended.”
The city council tweeted a call for support on the board on August 8, but no donation has been received since then.
Kensington and Chelsea Food Bank accepts donations at Notting Hill Methodist Church on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
