A PWLLHELI priest says he is expecting a dramatic increase in the use of foodbanks by families during the upcoming summer holidays due to benefit cuts.

Pwllheli Foodbank at St Peter’s Church was launched in February 2013 and was set-up by members of the town’s churches, as a way to help combat increasing poverty.

The service has already provided help for dozens of families across Pwllheli and Pen Llyn.

Father Huw Bryant, who helps run the foodbank, says there were 110 food parcels handed during January to March this year but is expecting a rise in families using the foodbank during the summer months.

Father Bryant said: “We have a couple of months now where the foodbank concentrates on re-stocking its depleted stock after the busy winter ready for the summer rush.

“We have tended to see a dramatic increase in families needing the foodbank over the summer holidays as the free school meals are not available.

“If you have two or three growing kids the sudden increase cost of having to find the extra food needed for lunch, and in some cases they get breakfast in school as well, for the five days a week they would have been fed in school is enough to push some families into serious debt which quickly spirals out of control.

“We expect this year to follow the same pattern as last year as nothing has really changed and unemployment, low pay, a weak economy and reliance on seasonal work along with benefit cuts and sanctions continues.”

The Trussell Trust revealed earlier this year that within the last 12 months 2463 food parcels were handed out by their foodbanks in Gwynedd but there is also more independent foodbanks, such as Pwllheli, in the region with Father Bryant predicting it is more likey that over 5000 emergency food parcels were actually handed out.

See the full story in this week’s Arfon/Dwyfor edition of the Cambrian News