THERE is more need than ever for the Vale's ever expanding food banks, especially in the run up to Christmas, according to the kind hearted volunteers behind the schemes.

Both Evesham and Pershore food banks have been busy in the run up to the festive season handing out boxes of food and Christmas hampers to families in need.

It's the first year the Pershore food bank has been open at this time of year after being set up in May but Reverend Mark Jennings, who is part of the team running it, said they are seeing an increase in people using it, due to illness or delays and changes to benefits or pay.

"In the lead up to Christmas, we are seeing a significant increase in people using food bank in Pershore," he said. "We fed 20 people last Friday alone, and are averaging over 60 people helped in a typical month, distributing typically more than half a tonne of non perishable food stuffs and essential toiletries each month.

"We are also seeing an increasing percentage of those being referred are younger families."

The Trussell Trust, which runs nearly half the country's food banks including Pershore, reported in May that their users had doubled during 2013/14, to nearly 900,000 people.

Their latest report, with the figures for April to September, stated that in this period almost 500,000 people had received food, already 38 percent higher than the same period last year.

Rev Jennings added: "The bigger point is why do food banks exist and what are we going to do to stop them being a permanent feature."

The picture is reflected in Evesham at the foodbank, which is run by Caring Hands at the Vale of Evesham Christian Centre and has been open for more than a decade.

Diane Bennett said they'd handed out more Christmas hampers than ever before this year.

"It always gets busy this time of year," she said. "We have done about 90 hampers this year and about 50 to 60 food parcels.

"We have seen people referred to us who 12 months ago would have never thought they would need to use the foodbank.

"We do see some harrowing cases.

"We normally contact families in need through the children's centre but this year we gone through extra agencies. We have also been able to do more because we have had more donations. People have been exceptionally generous."

Evesham Rotary Club were among those that donated after collecting 1,200 items outside Morrisons in the town.

Miss Bennett will also be helping the needy of Christmas Day itself when a lunch will be held at the Christian Centre for homeless and isolated people from the Vale.

"I am expecting about 20 to 25 people," she added. "We have the same amount of volunteers. We have been very blessed with people willing to give up their own Christmas."

Wychavon district councillor Charles Tucker said the council would be looking at ways it could support these people in need.