A Newcastle charity has heartbreakingly revealed that pasta is too costly for some people to cook and warned that the cost of living crisis hasn't fully hit those already struggling.
The People's Kitchen on Bath Lane is serving around 300 meals to homeless people every night - a figure that has almost doubled in just 18 months - and is expected to rise even further as the winter bites. Now, the charity has set up a 'corner shop' to provide free food parcels to some of the most vulnerable in the city as they come in for a hot meal.
But with the demand for support so high, volunteers have stressed that the parcels are not only helping homeless people, with many families also relying on them as they struggle to meet soaring bills.
People's Kitchen volunteer, Colin Herron, said: "People used to make a meal out of pasta but you have to boil pasta for about 15 minutes on the gas so people are now looking for an easier option. So if you can get a porridge pot where you only have to boil a little bit of water in the kettle then you can get a meal out of that.
"People are making those conscious decisions; 'can I eat it cold or do I have to heat it?'"
Colin continued: "We are still seeing the demand rising and we don't think the cost of living has hit fully yet either. I run the Sunday morning shift and I have been amazed at how the numbers are going up."
But thanks to the efforts of volunteers who took on the Great North Run in aid of the People's Kitchen, the charity has received a £10,000 boost. Funds raised through sponsorship will be used to buy supplies for the corner shop which provides a free bag of supplies including bread, milk, cereal, butter, fresh fruit, and vegetables that they can eat without having access to cooking facilities.
Colin, who also took part in the half marathon for the kitchen, said: "We are absolutely thrilled, especially with the costs, as the kitchen is going to get hit with the same energy costs as everybody. [And] with the demand going up and the costs going up, people who donate are struggling to donate because they have themselves to look after."
People’s Kitchen trustee Maggie Pavlou said the funding will help the charity to keep the corner shop going until Christmas.
"We know that many people we help are really struggling to afford the costs of even heating food up and so we are trying to also provide food that can be cold or heated quickly with just a kettle or a microwave, " she said.
"It’s a serious situation that is affecting more and more people and not just those that we would say are 'homeless.'
“The extra funding from our tremendous team of runners will help us keep both schemes going until Christmas and hopefully will help to reduce just a little of the financial stress that many people are facing right now.”
Donations can be made on The People’s Kitchen website www.peopleskitchen.co.uk/donate/
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