Ken Skates MS praises ‘amazing’ foodbank volunteers after visit to Cefn Mawr

Tireless foodbank volunteers are helping provide a lifeline for residents as people throughout Wales continue to feel the effects of the cost-of-living crisis, says a Member of the Senedd.

Ken Skates, MS for Clwyd South, praised those who give their time to help run local groups following a recent visit to Tesco at Cefn Mawr.

He said: “Everyone can agree that foodbanks shouldn’t be needed in the UK in 2022, but more and more people are having to turn to them for help as the cost-of-living crisis worsens. The fact is, they couldn’t operate without people’s generosity and the amazing volunteers who run them.”

Mr Skates was invited to Cefn Mawr to show his support for the Tesco Winter Food Collection, which took place at stores across Wales from Thursday, December 1, to Saturday, December 3.

He said: “Tesco has a proud decade-long partnership with the Trussell Trust and FareShare, two charities which work tirelessly to eradicate food poverty. During the collection, Tesco asked customers to donate long-life food items to help support the charities, with Tesco then topping up customer donations with an additional 20% in cash to aid them in their work.”

Mr Skates added: “It was really heartening to see so many people donating. So many people are worse off than they were last Christmas, yet many are still giving what they can.”

Items in particularly short supply at Wrexham Foodbank at the moment are UHT milk; long-life juice; coffee/tea; noodles; toothbrushes; shampoo; deodorant and Christmas items.