FEARS concerning the economic outlook and a harsh winter have prompted a bid to establish a foodbank in Tavistock.

Members of churches, clubs and community organisations were last Tuesday invited to a meeting chaired by David Palmer of Tavistock Area Christians Together (TACT) to learn about how Okehampton's food bank was set up, and to discuss the proposal.

Paul Congo, of Tavistock Lions Club, said his members had yet to be convinced there was a need for a foodbank. He said the club used to distribute food hampers but had given up the practice, due to the difficulty in finding people who needed them.

'The reception to it from our members until now has been very cool,' he said.

But the meeting was told that although Tavistock was considered comfortable and middle class, there were residents who faced times of serious need.

Nikki Chaplin, of Tavistock Citizens' Advice Bureau, said there were many people on minimum wages living in the area, or who could only find part-time employment.

She said there were also employers who ignored employment law, sometimes through ignorance, to the detriment of their workforce.

She said: 'My big concern is, coming into winter, how these people will afford to pay their heating bills and everything else they have to budget for. I know of several families who can't afford up-front costs of heating oil.'

Nikki said changes in the way people were paid benefit were complicated and prone to delays, redundancy was an issue and cuts in public spending also affected facilities such as children's breakfast and after-school clubs.

'When you add these things together I really do think there's a need. There is hidden poverty in this area, and I can think of two or three people a week that I myself see that would benefit from a foodbank — and I am just one advisor.

'My colleagues work with a lot of vulnerable families and I know families personally who don't turn on the heating because they have to eat.'

Monica Phillips said from her experience, even families in which both parents worked could end up with serious money problems if the unexpected occurred, such as serious illness. And young people with full-time jobs were finding it hard to cope, once rent, bills and student loans were taken from their wages.

'People are juggling all the time,' she said.

Edward Noble, who helped set up a foodbank in Gloucestershire and who had been involved in Plymouth foodbank, said: 'I would be extremely surprised if there was not a need for a foodbank here. It would almost be a miracle oasis outside the rest of the UK. I would think the problem we would face wouldn't be demand, it would be supply.

'The list is endless and we will find what we have is a drop in the ocean to what we will need.'

Andrew Morgan, of Okehampton Foodbank, based at the town's Baptist Church, said the operation acted as a 'middle man'. It worked on a voucher basis — these were obtained through agencies likely to come in contact with people in need, such as GPs, the CAB or social services.

'The beauty of this model is that you as a foodbank don't have to make judgemental decisions on who needs food parcels. Your role is simply to respond to somebody coming in with a voucher,' he said.

Mr Morgan said the foodbank had around 18 volunteers, who worked in three teams. The food parcels were distributed every Friday morning.

He said after a slow start, the foodbank had become vital for many families, particularly in the light of major job losses in Okehampton. Sometimes people needed parcels for several weeks, sometimes on odd occasions when times had got really bad.

Maggie Calvert, of Tavistock Children's Centre, said: 'We have many hard to reach families, and often they are hard to reach for a reason. Pride is a terrible thing and to have a voucher system is a brilliant idea.'

It was decided to set up a small working group to estimate demand and take up rates, helped by feedback from the children's centre and the CAB in the next few weeks, to look at the practical problems, and report back to a meeting of everyone interested before Christmas. 

Anyone who would like to know more about the scheme can call Dick Eberlie on 01822 618974 or email [email protected]">[email protected]