AT LEAST three children need help from The Gate Foodbank every single day, according to new figures.

Volunteers have handed out a total of 38,216 meals to Wee County residents since the beginning of the year.

Children made up 37 per cent of those who needed essentials, with the service seeing an increasing number of families coming through its doors.

A total of 1004 parcels have been provided over the last six months – the equivalent of five a day – and the Alloa foodbank is struggling to keep its shelves full.

Its resources are being depleted as, despite donations amounting to around one tonne of food a month, 1.75 tonnes of items are being given to people in Clackmannanshire.

Adrienne Hilton, foodbank co-ordinator, said: “There’s an increased demand throughout the year, we’ve not seen a drop-off in the summer this year.

“There’s an increase in demand for family support, people with children, and it’s consistent that we’re putting out about forty food parcels a week.

“The community is very generous and 90 per cent of our stocks are donated from local people, and they go out to local people in need.

“But at the moment we are desperate for all stocks because we are putting out more than three quarters of a tonne each month more than we get in.”

The foodbank, based at The Gate Centre and run by The Gate Charity, has recorded 1853 people as having received help between January and July – 686 children.

It is now in urgent need of all food products in order to keep providing assistance to those who need it.

Items being sought include rice pudding, tinned fruit, meat paste, tinned meat, tinned veg, individual packets of custard powder, pasta and sauce, savoury rice, packets of cheese sauce mix and noodles.

Instant potatoes, Weetabix, variety packs, jam, coffee, tea and squash are also required.

Along with the referral foodbank, The Gate Charity has been helping families in the area through its School Uniform Bank.

According to the most recent Cost Of A Child report from the Centre for Economics And Business Research, the average parent spends around £232,000 raising their child from birth to age 21.

An estimated £74,430 is spent on education if you send your child to state school.

Working in partnership with local politicians and Tesco, The Gate brought its initiative back for a third time.

Ahead of the new academic year, it accepted donations of school supplies and made them available for families.

The project supported 318 children of varying ages and around 80 people attended in the first afternoon of the drop-in week held at the end of July.

Those who showed support – Councillor Ellen Forson and her SNP colleagues, Tesco, Asda, Marks and Spencer, Ochil View and the wider community – have been recognised for the part they played.

Marie Brownhill, The Gate Centre manager, said: “Our foodbank, our services, would not operate without the Clacks community, and small businesses and large businesses. They are a great support.

“The schools as well; loads of school pupils were down here helping.”

Donations for the uniform bank are no longer being accepted, but some items for St Serf’s, Sunnyside, St Modan’s, Redwell and Lornshill still remain.

For details on what is still available and the sizing, please contact The Gate Centre on 01259 218766.

To donate to the foodbank, items can be given at Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and The Coop, or the centre between 10am and 3pm from Monday to Friday.