Congleton's foodbank has been "humbled" by the amount of donations they have received from the generous community since the country went into lockdown in the fight against coronavirus.

The Storehouse, based at New Life Church on West Road, continues to operate with three members of staff who are overseeing the foodbank. As per recommended safety guidelines, volunteers are restricted.

However, Jeff Cutts the Storehouse foodbank supervisor told Nub News that they would be responding day by day to demand and if there was a need to reinstate further volunteers they would whilst adhering to the guidelines.

Keeping a foodbank stocked is a constant pressure all year round, but there is now no greater demand due to the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on people's finances and job security.

All the food received at the Storehouse is kindly donated by individuals, other churches, groups and some businesses in the community.

Mr Cutts said: "The people of Congleton have been very generous and we are humbled by the amount of donations that are coming in.

"The community has really come together."

Some prefer to donate financially so appropriate food can be purchased, but Mr Cutts told Nub News that obtaining fresh produce from supermarkets had proved problematic due to the dramatic surge in panic shopping and the restrictions on the number of essential items you can now purchase.

Mr Cutts stated that here had been an increase in both donations coming in and the number of referrals at the foodbank since the Covid-19 outbreak started to have a major impact on the country.

Access to the service is obtained through a Storehouse Food Referral from one of the caring and support organisations and agencies working in the community i.e. Social Services, Plus Dane Housing and Mental Health Teams.

Mr Cutts told Nub News that a time when supermarket shelves were being emptied at an alarming rate last week, the foodbank was averaging up to 12 referrals a day.

Mr Cutts said: "Both us and the supermarkets are recovering. If I look a month ahead then I could get anxious about how things will go, but all we can do is take each day a time."

So far this week there had been three referrals on Monday and six yesterday (Tuesday), but Mr Cutts expected things to pick up with the weekend approaching.

The foodbank is currently open Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm to meet the growing demand and number of referrals.

The side door of the church is locked to restrict access, food parcels are being handed over at the door, at a safe distance, to those that collect.

Deliveries to people's homes are being left with them, at a safe distance outside the door.

Mr Cutts stated that although there was a criteria that needed to be met to receive a referral there would be people that would come into the foodbank and "try to abuse the system".

He admitted that the greater pressure from both angles-getting food in and out was a challenge with reduced staff, but they were adapting.

Following school closures, the Storehouse said it had seen an increase in referrals due to families having children who were entitled to free school meals.

Mr Cutts didn't want people to feel "embarrassed" having to use the foodbank, but instead he wanted to put them at "ease".

He said: "Yes it's about giving families food, but it's also about the holistic approach and offering support at a time when people need it the most.

"The world has significantly changed, and this virus is in our backyard."

The Storehouse's daily itinerary currently consists of picking up food donations from across the town in the morning, then prepacking and preparing the referral parcels to be delivered by one of the volunteers in the afternoon.

There is currently a shortage of pasta, rice pudding, tinned carrots and UHT milk at the foodbank.

Referrals can be emailed to [email protected] or by calling the church office 01260 297961.

For Storehouse updates visit their Facebook page or website.