DURING the last few weeks Devonshire’s Freemasons Executive has presented £6,666 to each of the foodbanks in Tavistock, Plymouth and Buckfastleigh.

A total of £10,000 has been donated by Devonshire’s benevolent fund to match £10,000 from the National Masonic Charitable Foundation. 

And as they found out chatting to the volunteers it’s a significant social problem, that’s getting worse and with little prospect of it getting better in the foreseeable future. 

Foodbanks operate on a voucher system, families being put forward for help by organisations such as Citizens Advice and Social Services. 

All these foodbanks are members of the “Trussell Trust” an organisation that strives to eradicate food poverty in the UK where more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children. 

The Freemasons support more than 1,200 foodbanks to provide a minimum of three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food to people who have been referred in crisis, as well as support to help people resolve the crises they face. 

Between April 2019 and March 2020, foodbanks in the Freemason’s network provided a record 1.9 million food supplies to people in crisis, an 18 per cent increase on the previous year and during the coronavirus pandemic foodbanks have seen need rise even further.

Reuben Ayres (Provincial Charity Steward): “Food poverty is everywhere, it’s not just an inner city problem. 

“We hope that the money donated will assist the Foodbank in relieving some of that suffering”.

For more information on the Trussell Trust visit: www.trusselltrust.org .