Manchester South Central Foodbank opened in April 2014 in response to the need for a foodbank that covered the Hulme, Moss Side, Whalley Range and Old Trafford areas. These are some of the most deprived areas in Greater Manchester, which is an area with a high level of poverty. With a child population of about 600,000, roughly 41.7% of children are living in poverty in the region. We are therefore a small but busy foodbank, in the 2023/2024 financial year we supported 4997 individuals with a food parcel. The Foodbank is operated by the Registered Charity Bridging the Gap (Manchester). Our mission is to to support people in immediate crisis by providing emergency food provisions and to seek longer term solutions to address the underlying causes of financial hardships, enabling communities to build resilience and a life free from poverty.