The Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank has reopened a branch in Meir following its closure several years ago. The foodbank located at Broadway Methodist Church in Meir opened this week and is set to be open every Monday between 12.30pm and 2.30pm.

Before Covid, the foodbank was located at the community centre. However, during lockdown, Stoke-on-Trent City Council ordered all community centres in the city to close. This led to a move to the nearby Broadway Methodist Church.

The service was later closed due to low attendance, which the organisers linked to it operating on a Saturday. In the Summer talks were held on whether or not to bring back the foodbank to Meir.

When it reopened this week a range of additional support services were also made available. These include financial help and employment help. Coalfields Regeneration Trust also plans to be in attendance as part of their CRT Engage program which provides one-to-one support with employment skills, anxiety management and provides free exercise sessions.

Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank network started in 2011 and now has 16 distribution centres covering the whole of the city. During 2023/2024 the service provided 19,643 three-day emergency food parcels to 11,997 adults and 7646 children.

Corrine Boden MBE said: "We would like to end the need for people coming to the food bank and it's how we do that in between. That means working with front line professionals that issue vouchers, challenging things that are going on and putting things in place like money advice, access to MIND if they've got mental health issues and working with organisations to help those that need it."