Lincoln larder: The temporary food bank still going 30 years on
A food bank set up as an emergency measure in 1989 is still feeding people 30 years on.
Lincoln Community Larder was launched by Mary Eckmyre to help people "in crisis" who could not afford food. She later moved to America but decades on families are still turning to the food bank for help. In 2018 it helped feed 3,562 people including 1,007 children. By July this year it had given food parcels to 2,677 people. The larder opens twice a week, giving three days worth of food to people referred from across the city. Dawn Nightingale, who now runs the service, said the number of people using it was higher than ever. Speaking about its founder, she added: "I think [she] set up the larder just for emergency use only, she would not be very happy that it's still running really." Sylvie Gay used the larder in 1996 as a single mother. The interior designer said: "I didn't even know the community larder was still going and it's shocking to hear that we are still having to feed families with children who can't afford to feed their children. Ryan Hendry, 19, and his 16-year-old girlfriend, who are both homeless, use the larder. He said: "I don't know where we would be without the food bank." Phil and Sue Freestone said they never expected to be in need of a food bank. Mr Freestone said: "It's a necessity at the moment because we're both out of work. We're really struggling, it's a Godsend, it really is." More than 200 organisations have vouchers for the service they can hand to people in need, BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire's Inside Out discovered. You can see this story in full on BBC Inside Out Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at 19:30 GMT on BBC One on Monday 9 September, or via iPlayer for seven days afterwards.