A YORK food bank has had to close early due to the sheer demand on its services.

The I am Reusable food bank in the Leeman Road area of the city, which was initially set up to help those in need through the pandemic, including NHS staff, has been inundated to the point that they have run out of food on several occasions recently.

READ MORE: Urgent appeal for missing woman, 75

The food bank is run by John McGall who, for the past 15 years has dedicated his time voluntarily to help improve the lives of the homeless, disabled and less fortunate people in York.

READ MORE: Popular North Yorkshire farm shop and cafe up for top award

They are usually open from 10am-5pm, but had to shut at 1.30pm after running out of supplies, due to people struggling with the cost of living.

York Press: The empty shelves at I am ResusableThe empty shelves at I am Resusable (Image: John McGall)

John said: "It breaks my heart to be honest that we have had to shut earlier than normal due to the demand on our services as we had run out of food.

"It's the first time ever this has happened and it's not that we don't get a lot of food delivered, we do.

"We get deliveries from M&S, Sainsbury's, Co-op and Pret a Manger as well as a lot of little independent traders in the city including the Bluebird Bakery and Love Cheese, but the sheer volume of people coming through the door means it's gone in no time. It's a lot of food, but it's just not lasting any more and it's just so sad because only going to get worse.

"We feed about 100 people a day and have people queuing up down the street. When the river has been in flood recently, they have been walking the long way round to get to us which shows how much they need us.

"Our operation is full-time - it's seven days a week with 60 volunteers and at the moment it's my life, from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night."

The food bank was open on Christmas Day with John saying it was a very busy day with people looking for microwave Christmas meals.

John has worked over the years to change the city’s attitudes on those who are homeless. He has been known to hand out hot drinks, snacks and warm clothes seven days a week to support those in need.

He won a Community Pride Award from The Press in 2020 when he was named Person of the Year.

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, John continued to ask for support with food donations online while he was shielding from the virus due to past heart surgery.

He said he is keen to hear from any businesses and individuals who can support the work of I am Reusable by making donations or simply sending food that would otherwise go to landfill.

Contact them on Facebook.