GOING hands on at Hereford Food Bank this morning (Friday), the Bishop of Hereford served notice on politicians preaching “all in this together.”

“I do get angry when I hear government ministers saying there is no evidence that benefit changes make people more likely to use food banks,” said Bishop Richard.

The Food Bank has found benefit issues to be the biggest cause of need.

Other reasons include insufficient income,  debt, and homelessness.

Co-ordinator Jackie Allsop confirmed that 700 of the 2,239 fed by the food bank between January and November were children.

Last month, 161 adults and children were supplied with food parcels.

Right now, the Food Bank is coping with a “Christmas rush”.

What’s heartening is the wider response to appeals for more stock which is coming in from individuals and supermarkets alike.

One delivery recently arrived from growers on a city allotment.

Amongst the biggest donors over the past week was  the Hereford office of law firm, Harrison Clark Rickerbys which held a collection drive for non-perishables that could sustain over Christmas.

Tinned food, soups and vegetables, and staples such as rice, pasta, teabags, coffee, sugar and cereals have all been stockpiled.

Each package offers seven days worth of food.

Open five days a week, the food bank bases donations people on referrals from those such as social workers, doctors and even teachers.

The Bishop’s stint at the food bank starts his wider exploration of initiatives underway across the diocese to tackle poverty.

Earlier this week, he told the Hereford Times of his surprise at the  anecdotal extent of deprivation in the county, admitting it was an extent he underestimated.

Food banks, said Bishop Richard, are “an indictment on our society” and a “responsibility for all of us”.

In 2012, more than 4,000 children and young people were categorised as growing up within the worst indicators of child poverty in the UK.

A report put to Herefordshire Council's health and well-being board made a direct link between child poverty and historically low wages in the county.

The report said child poverty was a "significant issue" for many local communities.

In 2010, international anti poverty charity Save the Children cited the county’s run of record GCSE scores as revealing a growing “education gap” trapping poorer pupils into
limited achievements and expectations.