TAVISTOCK Foodbank is considering opening on another day, such is the growing demand for food parcels by people in need.

Val O'Neill, foodbank co-ordinator, said from an average of six parcels a week, the bank volunteers are now handing out around 14 — and more worryingly, an additional three emergency packs a week.

She said: 'The issuing agencies give out vouchers for food parcels all week. The yellow ones can be cashed on a Friday, which is the day the foodbank is open, but for somebody in dire need, they give them a red voucher, which can be cashed in that day, providing they can get hold of a foodbank member.

'We are now seeing an increasing number of red vouchers.

'I went out to one family at 7pm at night because they had literally had nothing to eat all day. I think if we were open another day a week, perhaps people would not be put into this sort of situation.'

Val said Tavistock Foodbank has recently been audited by the Trussell Trust, the organisation which spearheaded the foodbank movement.

'We came out of if very well, but we are unusual in that we only open one day a week, and also unusual in that we do so many emergency parcels, and the auditor said it was time we thought about opening on another day.

'We were warned last summer that the summer holidays could be an issue, because of feeding children an extra meal a day — it didn't, I think because we were new then, but I do feel that now we are established, it could happen.

'I also wonder whether many families may end up having a later breakfast and an earlier tea, in order to miss out the middle meal.'

Val said another worrying sign of the times was the balance of food maintained in the foodbank store.

'It's now the first time ever that donations haven't been matching what we are giving out. The balance has shifted and we may have to start thinking about doing another supermarket collection,' she said.

Tavistock Foodbank only held two collections when it was first established. Val said she was 'very proud' of Tavistock and its generous people who have kept the foodbank going with donations ever since.

She said: 'People tend to come into the shop and say, "What are you short of?", or I sometimes put a note on the door, and I never struggle once I've put the sign up; people are amazing.

'And just recently we gave out a food parcel to some people who never thought they would need to use a foodbank. They came back the next week, once they'd sorted out their finances etc, and paid for the food box they'd had in cash, and said how pleased they were that we'd been able to help them.'

The foodbank committee will be meeting shortly to discuss additional opening hours. Val said the venue would be dependent upon the availability of the United Reformed Church but the extra opening day was likely to be a Wednesday.

Val said that thanks to an article in the Times recently, she had been able to fill all the volunteer slots at the foodbank, and paid tribute to those people who supported it, whether through donations or time.

l Tavistock Foodbank is currently very short of UHT milk and long life fruit juice. Any donations can be dropped in to Payless Discount Store, on the perimeter of Tavistock Pannier Market, or placed in the collection box at St Eustachius Church.