Volunteers at two borough food banks say they are struggling to keep up with demand as the cost of living crisis forces more residents into poverty.

Trinity Foodbank on Westminster Avenue in Radcliffe and Brandlesholme Community Foodbank on Brandlesholme Road have both reported an increase in demand in recent months coupled with a sharp decrease in donations.

The rising cost of food, utility bills and rent payments mean more and more residents have been forced to ask for help.

This has meant resources at these voluntary organisations must be stretched further to mean demand.

Tina Harrison MBE, volunteer lead for Trinity Foodbank, said that while the number of people asking for help is increasing, she is also seeing a rise in the number of people who are in work, but who still cannot make ends meet.

READ MORE: Pharmacy celebrates staff member's 40th year working in Whitefield

She said: “We’re surviving, but we are finding we’re getting more and more referrals.

“A lot of these referrals are self-referrals from people that are working that are working and that are really, really struggling at this time to pay their private rents and their mortgages.”

In addition, the food bank has also seen a rise in the number of asylum seekers in need of with food parcels and support with community integration.

Trinity, which accepts monetary donations as well as food and household items from the public, has also seen a decrease in the amount residents can give due to the rising cost of living, making it harder to provide essential items such as fresh fruit and vegetables.

Beth McCrimmon, vice chair at Brandlesholme Community Foodbank, says the situation at her organisation is similar.

While public donations have remained steady, she is seeing fewer donations from its charitable partner, FareShare, which redistributes surplus products from the food and drink industry.

Beth said: “Donations (from FareShare) are slowing down but people in our area are really, really good.

“There’s been a massive increase in service users.

“Going back to two or two and a half years ago, what we’re getting from FairShare is less than half and our service users are coming through all the time.”

As well as being food banks, both Trinity and Brandlesholme offer wider services such as drop-in sessions and friendly spaces for residents to socialise.

While other organisations in the area switching to a pantry model, both Trinity and Brandlesholme have chosen to keep their services free, as many do not have the funds for even a small subscription free.

READ MORE: Walfinch Bury and Bolton receive first 'good' CQC rating

Tina said: “There's a lot of people around our area that are on pre-pay metres and we feel that they shouldn't have to make that choice between food or fuel.

"That's why we've kept our principle of being a food bank.”

Both food banks are looking for donations of cash and household items.

In particular, Beth says Brandlesholme are in need of UHT milk and tinned sweetcorn as well as household items such as toilet roll, shampoo and bleach.

She also encouraged business owners to come forward if looking for a means of giving back to their communities.

Tina says donations of tinned meals such as chicken curry or chili con carne are welcome as well as monetary donations which can be spent on fresh produce.

“We always try to make people see that we’re here for everybody, and try to make them feel comfortable,” she added.