THE CALLINGTON Community Soup Run team is seeing increasing numbers of service users and increasing costs in recent months as we face a cost of living crisis.

The Callington team is one of the teams involved with the Plymouth Soup Run, a service that provides free hot food and hot drinks to homeless and vulnerable individuals 365 days a year alongside offering support and signposting individuals who are struggling.

This year the Plymouth Soup run teams which operated on a rota schedule and operates from Shekinah in Plymouth have given out 21,920 meals so far, which is a 20% increase in meals provided compared with the previous year.

Jeremy Gist, founder of the Callington Community Soup Run group and former councillor explained that the cost of living crisis was impacting the number of service users and that increasing costs were making it more difficult to fund the service.

Jeremy said: ‘All our costs are increasing. Everything is going up. We don’t lack volunteers, the difficulty is financing it.’

The Plymouth Soup Run teams not only supply hot food and drink they also supply items such as sleeping bags, toiletries, even pet food which all requires extra funds.

‘Sleeping bags are always something we’re grateful to have donations of. Sleeping bag demands exceed supply’, said Jeremy.

Jeremy also explained that to buy essential items such as a box of cups which each service user receives two of, one for soup, one for a hot drink; has increased in price by around 15% along with the fact that the group try to be environmentally-conscious using recyclable cups and wooden cutlery which all incurs increased costs. On top of this, changes in food labelling regulations has generated an extra expense.

Alongside an increase in cost to finance the soup run, the team has seen an increase in service uptake.

‘There’s been a noticeable increase in demand in the last few months’, said Jeremy.

‘In September the soup run gave out 2,526 meals with an average of 84 meals given out a night, which is a 26% increase on September the previous year. September has also shown a 15% increase compared to August. Undoubtedly the number of people we see is on the rise and I expect the numbers to continue rising.’

Jeremy expressed gratitude for the generosity of the Callington community and to the team with its core members consisting of Jeremy and his wife Karen, June Trevithick, Jamie Dowdall and his son Thomas, Cllr Andrew Long, Ryan Giddy and Callington Lions Andrew and Emma Burnard. The group also receives regular support from Callington Lions and The Cornish Bakery.

‘It’s a group I feel very proud to be part of. We’re very fortunate as the community support is fantastic. But at the same time there is an increase in costs, said Jeremy.

Anyone wishing to give donations to the Callington group such as sleeping bags, blankets, toiletries, socks, underwear or funds can do so by dropping them into Gist (Insurance Brokers) Ltd on 53-54 Fore Street, Callington, PL17 7DL.