THE necessity for food banks grows and grows. Between two and three tonnes of surplus food that might otherwise go to landfill are now brought into Derby every fortnight from the food industry. The food is distributed to those who need it through a wide network of charities.

The logistics of the operation are considerable, and a new storage facility for the food has just been officially opened at St Thomas's, Pear Tree, by the Archdeacon of Derby, the Ven. Dr Christopher Cunliffe. It has been built with funds raised by St Thomas's; the All Saints Charity, based at Derby Cathedral; and the Unite union; and it is a distribution point for FareShare to pass food on to Derbyshire-based charities.

St Thomas's does not run its own food bank, but the Team Vicar, the Revd Dr Simon Cartwright, says that "it is particularly good that we can use St Thomas's in this way; for it enables us to play our own part in helping overcome food poverty."