This month, The Vale Foodbank and Pontypridd Foodbank each received a cheque for £500 from Newydd Housing Association after they experienced a massive increase in demand, due to the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is paired with a drastic change in their methods of food collection and distribution in order to comply with social distancing. This is the second time this year that Newydd has made a cash donation to these food banks.

Becky Morgan, Manager at the Vale Foodbank said, "We are so grateful for this donation from Newydd. It has been an incredibly busy time for the Vale Foodbank throughout these last few months, having an 82% increase in demand has kept us all working hard. We have had to completely change the way we operate as a foodbank, closing our centres and becoming a delivery-only service.

This generous donation from Newydd will help us to reach the high demand of people in crisis in our community and will enable us to provide food parcels for people who find themselves in financial difficulties following the Covid pandemic.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you so much for your ongoing support to the foodbank, it is hugely appreciated."

Amanda Hayden-Hall, Manager at Pontypridd Foodbank said, "We are very grateful to Newydd for their donation, during the Covid pandemic we have seen our numbers go up considerably, and we have sought to offer a more holistic service. This has meant that as well as the usual food, we have also been able to provide people in need with cleaning products and toiletries that they would need should they become unwell.

With all indication being that the pandemic is going to be with us for some time, Newydd's donation will mean that should we run low of any specific item we will be able to purchase it to ensure that, as best we can, people have a balanced diet."

Pontypridd foodbank saw a 75% increase in the number of adults they supported between March to June this year, compared with the same period last year and a 216% increase in the number of children supported in the same period.

Paul Roberts, Chief Executive of Newydd said, "We are aware that the Covid-19 pandemic has been a very difficult period for many households and the demands placed on food banks have increased at a time when running their services has been doubly difficult. Newydd has supported the work of local food banks both financially and with other help in the past and we wanted to play our part during this crisis. We are sure the money we have donated will be put to good use and will support those who most need it."

Every day, people in the UK go without food, with 1 in 5 of the UK population living below the poverty line and with the winding down of the furlough scheme from August, this figure is likely to increase. It's likely that the country will face higher levels of redundancies on top of the job losses already announced across all sectors and this is likely to increase the number of people needing the help of food banks. Foodbanks provide those in need with nutritionally balanced emergency food which are a lifeline to many families, and that's why Newydd wanted to help.