PETERSFIELD Food Bank has taken on a permanent manager to cope with increasing demand for its services.

Kay Thomas has been full of admiration for the 60 volunteers at the Food Bank since taking the reins at the charity.

The Petersfield resident will focus on the admin, allowing the amazing team to provide help to those who need it most.

“To be honest the Petersfield Food Bank is quite lucky to be in a position where they can afford a manager because it’s run by volunteers,” said Kay, who has an admin and managerial background.

“There’s about 60 wonderful volunteers here and I’ve been taken on to review the admin and free up some time because of demand.

 “It’s been interesting working here because there’s a really good set-up and it seems to run really well.

She added: “We’re still getting quite a lot of referrals from places like the CAB, doctors, churches and social services. I think we’ve probably got the resources to feed more.”

Demand for the service shows no sign of slowing down as the cost of living crisis continues to hit home.

The operation now runs four days a week with drop-off sessions on Monday and Wednesday and distribution on Tuesdays and Fridays.

It’s a far cry from the days when the Food Bank operated from a cupboard in the Salvation Army headquarters on Swan Street.