IT is a sad indictment that in 2014 there are a great many needy people in cities such as Portsmouth, club members were told in a talk by Jenny Johns, chairman of Portsmouth Family Welfare Association (PFWA).
Despite the welfare state there are still a lot of people without homes, jobs and even food, she said.
“We receive an average of ten requests for assistance every day and last year we helped 1,877 people by providing household items, clothing and sometimes food.”
Mrs Johns has been chairman of the organisation for 12 years and club member Celia Veal serves on its committee. The group need around £10,000 a year to keep going and rely mainly on volunteers who also help with fundraising.
Mrs Johns said changes in the benefits system had meant an increase in the number of clients asking for their help.
“Someone loses a job or their marriage breaks down and as it can take up to six weeks for benefits to be arranged, they can find themselves in a desperate situation.”
The PFWA are one of the agencies, along with the likes of Social Services and the Citizens Advice Bureau, able to refer people to the Portsmouth Food Bank, the ninth busiest in the country.
Mrs Johns said they do a lot of recycling of goods to people in need. “If you’re buying new curtains, please think of us and donate your old ones to us.”
As anyone can ask them for help they are particularly short of children’s clothes, especially for girls aged five to eleven, shoes and small size jeans as many of their clients are undernourished.
They are based in the Carnegie Library in Fratton Road, Portsmouth.
Club member Pam Grosvenor thanked Mrs Johns for her eye-opening talk and gave her a £25 donation from the club.