PEOPLE in Bodmin are rallying to help desperate families who are cannot afford to feed themselves.
Since last week's Cornish Guardian's story about poverty-stricken people calling at the home of the rector of Bodmin pleading for food, the Reverend Canon Graham Minors has been swamped with food donations and offers of help to distribute food parcels.
The Borough Arms has also offered to provide fresh food left over from its carvery on a daily basis to people suffering hardship if some form of community kitchen was set up in Bodmin.
Pub manager Michelle Morris said: "It is fresh food which could be made into stews and we can offer it seven days of the week if someone can collect it in the late afternoons. We are very willing to help.''
Mr Minors and veteran Bodmin councillor Tommy Denholm had called on volunteers to set up a large foodbank in Bodmin to run along the same lines as the Wadebridge Foodbank.
It operates a satellite service from the Bodmin Christian Fellowship Church next to the town's fire station which is open from 1.30pm to 3pm on Wednesday afternoons.
The call caused offence to those involved in the Bodmin foodbank drop-in, who have pointed out that it had been operating for three years, and has distributed 242 food parcels over the past eight months.
Mr Minors said: "If I have offended anyone then I wish to offer them my heartfelt apologies.
"But the response I've received from people willing to volunteer their services to help the poorest in our society has been unbelievable and perhaps in the new year we can hold a meeting with those running the Wadebridge Foodbank to co-ordinate a way in which the foodbank in Bodmin could be open longer to support the many people in Bodmin who are suffering hardship.
"There has been so many offers of food in the past few days. Someone even turned up at my door with 60 tins of baked beans to distribute.''
Jacqui White, project manager of the Wadebridge Foodbank said she was extremely disappointed that Mr Minors and Mr Denholm appeared to be unaware of the Bodmin drop-in foodbank, but hoped with more volunteers coming forward it could open longer.
"We already enjoy a great level of support from the majority of local churches in Bodmin nearly all of which donate regularly to the foodbank," she said.
"We all know that more can be done and undoubtedly it would be a positive thing to be able to increase the opening hours of the Bodmin Foodbank satellite. It is great news that Mr Minors feels this is something he would like to be involved in and we look forward to talking to him about working more closely together,'' said Mrs White.
