A TEIGNBRIDGE charity is seeing demand spiralling for help from families suffering in the cost of living crisis.

Volunteers at HITS, which has its base in Kingsteignton, have been dealing with double the usual level of deliveries of food parcels. One day last week, the charity was able to deliver 97 food packs where it would normally source between 30 and 40 per day.

While inflation is increasing, donations of food are going down.

HITS trustee David Cox said: ‘We are seeing a massive increase in need and we are seeing a reduction in the amount of food we are getting donated.

‘We are now asking if people need food packs, can they come and pick them up rather than we deliver them which makes our money go further by reducing our running costs. Demand is now more than double our usual capacity.’

The charity is being forced to ‘juggle’ its resources.

In the past, it would be able to supply £150 vouchers for school uniforms or energy top ups for pre-payment metres.

Now, rather than give the money for uniforms, it offers free food parcels to the value of £150, for which the actual cost to the charity is less. This means its limited finances can be stretched further.

David said: ‘It is only going to get worse. It is extremely worrying as we are already seeing people suffering more and that’s before the real energy bills increases hit. It may get to the point where we have to reduce what we put in the food parcels to make it go further.’

David has also suggested that owners of second homes, who will qualify for the automatic energy bill discount of £400 in instalments, to consider donating it to charities ‘helping those in most need’.