WITH just weeks to go before they are evicted, volunteers at a community initiative have renewed their desperate pleas for help.

Food for Thought’s team redistribute donated food, clothes and toiletries from supermarkets, businesses and individuals to those in need via communal meals, pop-up cafes and night-time deliveries.

The project has grown rapidly since being launched about a year ago but faces an uncertain future as homelessness looms over the venture.

Determined to carry on no matter what, volunteers are nevertheless fearing instability and resulting difficulties as a result of having to leave their base at Darlington’s fire station to make way for redevelopment of the site.

The project’s team has been told they have to move out by January but as yet, no permanent base has been found that would be a suitable alternative.

For Food for Thought to continue thriving and growing, a space is needed that can accommodate the cooking of large meals and storage of equipment, food, clothes and other donations.

An appeal earlier this year did not succeed and chair Louise Graham is now desperately calling on the community to help an initiative that has helped to feed and support more than 1,400 people since its launch.

She said that volunteers would not give up but that the situation was becoming more desperate by the day.

Ms Graham added: “After supporting so many people in need, it is ironic that we could end up being homeless as an organisation.

“It is a huge shame that we have to move out of the fire station, where we’ve had so much support and were enabled to grow.

“Food for Thought is a really lovely initiative and has grown so much, it is unfortunate that this is happening.

“It has brought people from different backgrounds together and proved that we can work together as a community.

“It was launched because the Government is not going to solve our problems for us and so we need to find solutions ourselves, within the community. It is an alternative to austerity and consumerism and we have seen the amount of people who need support grow, along with the level of support they need.

“We try to soften the blow but times are going to get harder, not easier for people.

“We urgently need help, we are determined not to let this stop us but having no permanent hub will make things really, really difficult for us.”

A fundraising music quiz for Food for Thought will take place on Friday from 7.30pm at Darlington Fire Station.

Anyone who can help the project find a home should email fftdarlo@gmail.com.