We have been issuing emergency food parcels for nine years. In the past this meant helping people who were mainly homeless and fighting a variety of problems. Now it seems that many who cannot affford the weekly shop are working people. Salaries are eaten up by heavy mortagages, sky high heating bills and painfully expansive petrol. Overtime is no more. Tax Credits have been slashed. There is often only one cost left to cut after paying to keep a roof over the family's heads: Food. We provide it

The news is making us more and more aware every day that there are many among us who find it hard to feed our families. This isn't Ethiopia or Somalia. It's here. Great Britain 2012. Many would like to do something. To help those who live in our own town. This can be hard. Collecting food is one thing. Finding a way to give it to those who need it it is another thing all together. We make this achieveable. Anyone who brings us three tins of beans knows 100% where they will go.

This dire recession has a way to go yet. If we travel the same road as Greece then our communities are going to have to relearn the lessons of self help. Maybe in a year's time we will be handing out 200 food parcels per week. We are absolutely determined to keep up with demand, no matter how hard this proves to be. That is our single, targeted outcome. Nobody EVER comes into First Base for a food parcel and goes away empty handed.