CHEPSTOW Food Bank has fed more than 1,500 hungry mouths since opening 18 months ago, and the demand doesn't look like it will be going down any time soon. The project is facilitated by Chepstow Churches Together and is part of the Trussell Trust National Foodbank Network. Totally reliant on donations, the charity works to provide three days' worth of emergency food for people suffering a crisis when it comes to putting food on the table. Foodbank co-ordinator Sarah Coleman said emergency food is for "people who are in some sort of crisis and are unable to feed themselves or their families. "This may be the result of a number of factors, including redundancy, low income, ill health or homelessness." The charity was founded by Chepstow couple Sheila and Alf Pagden and Reverend Jim Davies, who heard about two families going hungry over Christmas in 2011. The philanthropic three took food around to the families and were struck by the idea of how many more people in Chepstow may be going hungry and thought to set up a charity to combat this. The service attracted a number of Christians within Chepstow who put into place the Trussel Trust model which runs more than 400 foodbanks UK-wide, hoping to ease the burden of the 13 million people living under the poverty line around the country. Forming a committee in May 2012, the Chepstow foodbank has distributed 13 tonnes of food to people facing food poverty so far, feeding 392 children since opening. Individuals can visit the foodbank up to three times in a six month period, meaning the centre does not see the same people weekly. "All clients are referred by health professionals, whether they are social workers, doctors, pastoral workers or probation workers," Sarah said. The referral agency then issues support to try and help the individual to combat their food poverty in other ways, whether it be employment gain, budgeting or other methods. Open three days a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – the number of clients served does tend to depend on the time of the year. In the winter, numbers are higher as people struggle to pay their electricity and put food on the table in the darker, colder months. "Christmas especially is hard for people, looking to try and meet the extra demands for families," Sarah said. "The clients are not stereotypical; there are all sorts of people. It is not just people on benefits who are coming to us. There are also professionals coming through the door." Foodbank clients bring their voucher to the centre where it can be exchanged for three days' supply of emergency food. They are also met with volunteers who are able to signpost people to agencies able to help with the long-term problem. All food is donated through supermarket collections and sorted and processed by volunteers. Chepstow county councillor Armand Watts called the numbers "heartbreaking". "Chepstow is the one of the wealthiest wards in Wales," the Labour councillor said. "However, in Bulwark there is serious deprivation, with around 22 per cent of children living in deprivation. "There is a crisis. It's harder to be poor in Monmouthshire because it is hidden. The cost of living is so high and the discrepancy between the affluent and the working poor is significant. "There needs to be a re-evaluation on policy on jobs in Monmouthshire. The cuts made at national level, the cuts to benefits, the new look to charge for Breakfast Club; all this economic pressure is really squeezing those on the margins." Cabinet member for social care and health, Councillor Geoff Burrows, said: "The emergence and importance of food banks across the UK for people in true need is a concern, but not a development specific to Monmouthshire. "It is in my view the effect of the unprecedented recession this country has faced over the last few years. "Hopefully the actions of the present Government will begin to take effect and perhaps the need for foodbanks will begin to diminish in the future. "The Social Services Directorate that I have portfolio responsibility for has a very specific mandate to ensure that those residents of Monmouthshire that have issues of vulnerability have their needs managed, but this is specific to their general health and wellbeing, not their fiscal circumstances. "I believe that the Chepstow Food Bank as well as others in the county are impacting significantly on the lives of those that call upon them, and for which on behalf of the council I am grateful for. "As a council it is part of our core belief that through regeneration and job creation such issues can be mitigated against. "Every single person has a story to tell and I have no doubt that many people are finding it pretty tough right now. There is only so much that a local authority can do." The gloomy outlook on food poverty has been somewhat balanced by the reaction of the volunteers who run the foodbank. "The people in Chepstow and surrounding area have been amazingly kind and generous over the last year or so," Sarah said. "Be assured that all who have donated have made a tremendous difference to those families in Chepstow who find themselves facing food poverty. On behalf of those families we'd like to say thank you so much for caring."