St Paul's Pantry in Norton Lees has expanded into the church building to accommodate the growing number of people relying on the food bank, but volunteers now warn that without additional donations of money and food, closure may become unavoidable.
Staff at the community pantry say a sharp decline in donations combined with rising demand has created an increasingly difficult situation. Tina Sampson-Smith, a volunteer at St Paul's in Norton Lees, Sheffield, described the outlook as bleak.
They look pretty grim at the moment.
The scale of the challenge facing food banks nationally is substantial. According to the Trussell Trust's latest figures released on 24 September 2026, its food bank network distributed more than 2.6 million emergency food parcels across the UK in 2025. This represents a 45% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the deepening cost-of-living crisis affecting households across the country.
At St Paul's Pantry specifically, the pressure has become acute. Sampson-Smith reported that when she checked the pantry's freezers recently, most were switched off because stock levels had fallen so low.
It's always tough from September to November, but this year is tougher than ever.
The volume of people seeking assistance has reached unprecedented levels. In a single recent Wednesday, 204 individuals arrived at the pantry requiring support. Sampson-Smith highlighted the interconnected nature of food poverty, noting that behind each person who walks through the door lies a wider family depending on that assistance.
Food poverty is really, really high at the moment and it's a never-ending battle to get food because our supermarkets haven't got the stock to give us.
Co-founder Jay Judge emphasised the hidden scale of the crisis, pointing out that the visible demand masks a much larger problem affecting families who do not access services.
It's a day to day battle. [There's] more and more people in food poverty, those that you see and those that you don't see. For every person that turns up at the pantry there's a family behind that. We might be seeing over 200 people coming through the door but it's feeding a lot more people than that.
How are holiday periods affecting families?
The pantry has historically provided school meals during holiday breaks, but current stock shortages have made this impossible. Sampson-Smith explained that the freezers are now empty, leaving the service unable to support families during the upcoming half-term period when children are not receiving free school meals at school.
This challenge mirrors broader patterns across the country. Earlier in the year, a single father using a Castle Cary community larder expressed concerns about falling donations and the end of holiday voucher schemes making summer especially difficult, while charities have warned that families are skipping meals during school holidays as parents face extra food costs when free school meals stop.
What pressures are families facing?
Jenny Farrall-Bird, area manager for the Trussell Trust, described this period of the year as particularly demanding for food banks. She outlined the impossible choices confronting families on the lowest incomes, who must decide whether to prioritise feeding their children over themselves, skip meals, or forgo heating their homes.
Food banks are really a lifeline for people in financial crisis.
The rising cost of food has contributed significantly to the drop in donations over recent years, Farrall-Bird added. This creates a vicious cycle in which food banks must undertake more intensive fundraising and seek income to purchase stock that they can then distribute to people in crisis.
What services does the pantry provide beyond food?
St Paul's Pantry operates as more than a distribution point for emergency supplies. In addition to providing food parcels and prepared meals, the service offers a dedicated space where people can speak with a cost of living worker and family hub workers. These support services help address the underlying causes of food insecurity and connect families with additional assistance.
What is the scale of the volunteer effort?
More than 40,000 volunteers gave their time to local food banks in 2024–25, according to the Trussell Trust, demonstrating the enormous community effort required to sustain these services. The 2025 food parcels were distributed from 1,671 locations across 289 local authorities throughout the UK.
Sampson-Smith made a direct appeal for continued support, emphasising the pantry's commitment to its community.
We really want to continue. We don't want to stop what we're doing.
Similar pressures are being felt across the UK. Food bank managers in Northern Ireland have warned of potential closures as donations fall and costs rise, with some centres reporting only weeks of funding remaining. However, some services have found ways to secure longer-term stability: Oasis Hub Bath secured £272,702 in National Lottery funding to sustain its food pantry and community services for three years, serving around 600 people weekly.
Key Facts
- St Paul's Pantry in Norton Lees, Sheffield, has expanded into the church building due to rising demand but faces potential closure without additional donations
- A single Wednesday saw 204 people arrive at the pantry seeking support, with freezer stock now critically low
- The Trussell Trust's food bank network distributed over 2.6 million emergency food parcels across the UK in 2025, a 45% increase from pre-pandemic levels
- Rising food costs have led to a significant drop in donations, forcing food banks to undertake more intensive fundraising to purchase stock
- The pantry provides not only food but also access to cost of living workers and family hub support services
