Emergency food deliveries in Leeds during lockdown are testament to city's strength - the YEP says
Andrea Milner is just one of thousands of people across Leeds to whom deliveries of emergency food packages during lockdown have been a lifeline while shielding.
New figures today from the Yorkshire Evening Post lay bare the scale of those who have relied on the parcels during the first two months of coronavirus pandemic.
They show the number of people who accessed emergency food aid is up to nine times higher than usual.
Dave Paterson, of Unity in Poverty Action and Leeds Food Aid Network, said it was thanks to Leeds’ “well-established network” that the city was able to respond quickly to meet the rising need as the crisis deepened.
Thousands of volunteers also signed up to help staff the hubs and deliver food as part of the city’s relief effort.
It is a testament to the strength of Leeds in that the city was able to support those who needed it most.
Yet now as restrictions ease, we need to get a grip on truly supporting those who relied on food parcels long before the threat of coronavirus.
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