THE city has been awarded £115,000 to help people struggling to afford food.

Worcester City Council has been given £114,820 to support people struggling to afford food and other essentials due to coronavirus.

The Local Authority Emergency Assistance Grant for Food and Essential Supplies allows local authorities to use their discretion, to identify and support those most in need within their communities.

Cllr James Stanley, chairman of the city council’s communities committee, said: “This additional funding will help to support the outstanding work which has already been undertaken by the Worcester Foodbank, Worcester Community Trust and many others since the outset of the pandemic.

“We will continue to work with a range of local partners to ensure that families who are struggling to put food on the table - or are at risk of homelessness - get the help and financial assistance they urgently need.”

The money will go to Worcester Foodbank, Worcester Cares – which allows soup kitchens in the city centre to provide at least 70 meals a day, six days a week for four months for homeless and vulnerable people - and Health Worcester which supports families with pre-and-primary school aged children to tackle food poverty.

The money will also help more people in the city’s welfare assistance scheme – which provides money to help households in crisis pay for food, energy bills and other things such as washing machines, fridges and freezers - and will also help people facing homelessness to access housing by paying for deposits and arrears help.

Worcestershire County Council was awarded £595,631 by central government as part of the Local Authority Emergency Assistance Grant for Food and Essential Supplies fund.

The county council said it is working with district councils to make sure every child has access to meal during half term.

Cllr Marcus Hart, cabinet member for education, said: “We are working together with councils from across the county to make sure that every vulnerable child in Worcestershire has access to a meal every day during the half term holidays.

"We continue to support the Ready, Steady, Worcestershire initiative which combines the efforts of a range of agencies and food banks that provide a community response to holiday hunger

"All district councils are providing welfare support services.

"Anyone still in need of our help should get in touch with Here2Help Worcestershire on our website or call the hotline on 01905 768053."