Matthew, a single father using the Millbrook Hub community larder in Castle Cary, says he is facing a difficult summer as food donations fall and voucher schemes end. He uses the larder up to three times a week to help feed his family, and says he does not know what he would do without it.
The father-of-two said the cost of living crisis has made everyday essentials hard to afford, and he expects the coming weeks to be especially challenging after Somerset Council ended a scheme that automatically gave families of children on free school meals supermarket vouchers during the holidays.
"Without it, I don't know what I'd do. The cost of living definitely has had an impact. Half the time, I can't afford food for myself."
Charity leaders say donations to food banks and community larders have hit record lows, leaving services facing an uncertain future. Matthew said this summer was also going to be very difficult because of the change to holiday support.
"I'm going to have to stretch my budget even more this month, with great difficulty,"
He said he cannot work at the moment because he is a full-time father for young children, and over the next six weeks he may have to ask friends to help him pay for food for his children. Council chiefs said, however, that food vouchers are still available through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which replaced the previous Household Support Fund in April.
Because the choice of food at the larder is limited, Matthew said he mainly uses it for nappies, toilet roll, shampoo and some food for himself. He then uses all the money he gets to pay for his children's food.
Recently, he has seen the number of donations at the larder fall and said everyone is "struggling" because of the cost of living crisis.
How have donations to the larder changed?
Donations have fallen noticeably in recent months, according to those running the Millbrook Hub community larder. Matthew said he has seen the reduction first-hand as the summer approaches and pressure on households continues.
Mark Hutton, who helps run the Millbrook Hub community larder, said he had seen first-hand the drop in donations. He said it was caused by several factors, including supermarkets reducing the availability of some items and people trying to save money.
"It's a combination of everything,"
"lack of donations and contributions in recent months"
Why are food banks worried about the future?
Foodbank charity Trussell Trust says its North Bristol and South Gloucestershire branch is now buying more of its own stock than ever, with one in every four of the 15,045 items it gave out in 2025 being purchased by the charity itself.
Ellen Wood, the branch's CEO, said everyone was "feeling the pinch" and that people have been struggling "year after year" despite "so much generosity" from the community. She said most of the food shared by Trussell Trust is donated by the public using supermarket collection points, but that the number of items coming through this route has also fallen.
"If this trend keeps happening one or two years down the line, I don't know,"
"We can't keep buying food [and] if people can't afford to donate the food then we'll struggle."
Loki Stokes, the food bank's food logistics manager, said he had never seen stock so low before.
"We try to hold a week's buffer across all nine outlets, but this summer that's getting hard to promise,"
What has Somerset Council said?
Somerset Council said it recognises that many households continue to face financial pressure because of the ongoing cost of living crisis. It added that these pressures will increase for many families over the summer holidays.
A spokesperson said the three years of government funding provided through the Crisis and Resilience Fund would help the council build on its partnerships across Somerset and ensure residents who need support can access it close to where they live.
"The three years of government funding provided through the Crisis and Resilience Fund enable us to build on our strong partnerships with organisations across Somerset, helping to ensure that residents who need support can access it close to where they live,"
Key Facts
- Matthew uses the Millbrook Hub community larder in Castle Cary up to three times a week.
- Somerset Council ended a scheme that automatically gave free school meal families supermarket vouchers during holidays.
- Trussell Trust's North Bristol and South Gloucestershire branch gave out 15,045 items in 2025, with one in four bought by the charity.
- Mark Hutton said donations and contributions have fallen in recent months.
- Somerset Council says vouchers are still available through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
