“HOLIDAY hunger” is contributing to a rise in the number of families being forced to turn to the region’s foodbanks for help.

A growing number of parents are struggling to feed their children throughout the school holidays, according to the manager of a Darlington foodbank where demand has doubled since May.

An increasing number of families are relying on donations of food to fill the gap created by a lack of school meals throughout the summer holidays.

Manager Caroline Todd said volunteers at Darlington’s Kings Church Foodbank had handed packages of food to twice as many families throughout July as they did in May.

Ms Todd said she believed the “significant increase” in demand would be mirrored at foodbanks across the region as families struggled to provide an extra meal each day for their children.

She said: “We have seen demand double and our figures make for interesting reading.

“People are struggling to get through the holidays when they have more mouths to feed with the children being at home, and extra expense such as buying uniforms.

“When they’re at school, they’ll get a hot dinner but then the families have to provide that in the holidays.

“We’ve seen a number of new families come to us and we try our best to offer them a welcoming, positive environment but they can often feel embarrassment and shame over coming to us as there’s sadly still stigma attached to using a foodbank.

“It’s hard for people, poverty brings you down and pushes away hope.

"Once you enter into food poverty, it can have an effect on every part of your life.”

King’s Church Foodbank, which is open from 1pm until 3pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, welcomes donations.

For more information, visit kingschurchdarlington.org/foodbank.