The Salisbury Foodbank is expanding to include a new location in Fovant.

It has also announced it will be working with Dogs Trust Salisbury to offer dog food for the pets of people in need.

The foodbank was approached by volunteers at the Fovant Free Church who desired to run a foodbank branch in their community, making access to those in need easier access to services without the challenge of making the two-hour bus ride to Salisbury.

Sam Lush, foodbank coordinator, said: “We’re very pleased that we’re able to get more outreach, because people just think that poverty is in the city centre; they don’t see that there’s actually rural poverty out there, as well.”

Sam said much of the foodbank’s increased outreach is targeted toward rural communities which previously had poor or no access to services.

Sam said: “There’s a lot of rural poverty, as well, that we’re trying to get more and more outreach to because the trouble is the buses are so expensive.

"If you’ve got £5, £6 that it’ll cost you to get on the bus, you could maybe spend £5-£6 in a shop and get food. So, the people that are coming to us don’t have that sort of money for the bus and we’re trying to get more outreach to locations.”

The foodbank has seen increased demand in all of its service area, from SP1 to SP9, due to the cost-of-living crisis. Nine-hundred clients made use of the foodbank in December, the highest number of any month it has ever seen.

Overall, 2022 was the busiest year of the foodbank’s history.

The Fovant foodbank location will be open from 1:30pm-3:30pm each Thursday.

The foodbank will also be expanding its services in Salisbury to include food for man’s best friend, to help those in need help feed family members with four legs, as well.

The foodbank partnered with Dogs Trust Salisbury to collect donated dog food from their location and provide a more centrally located outlet.

Sam said: “[Dogs’ Trust is] based all the way out in Newton Tony and the people we’re trying to support can’t drive. It’s too far out of a location, so we’re going to work together.

"They’ve got lots of donated dog food and we haven’t got any and we’re the people with all the access to the people.”