• Fliss wanted to start an independent foodbank for Coalville

• Feed The Need's committee managed to secure a sponsor and a community centre base

• They are urging the public to use their donation baskets

• Aim is to train volunteers to train as benefits advisers for the public

Fliss Middleton believes Feed The Need has started 'something quite special' for Coalville and the surrounding areas.

Along with her husband and a team of volunteers, Fliss's venture now has a permanent base at Hugglescote Community Centre once a week where people who need help can come and get food for themselves and their families.

With the help of sponsor Laurence Johnson and his company Green Logic UK Ltd, Feed the Need is now helping people get back on their feet.

And founder Fliss believes the scheme is making a real difference in people's lives.

"It was my idea. I've been in this area for two and a half years. I have a background in community work I've always been involved in projects and helping people," Fliss told Coalville Nub News.

"I thought what I'd like to do is have something that people can come to whenever they needed and as often as they needed.

"So I just started it. We try to help families, the parents are often suffering from depression as they can't see any way out. Every single day is a struggle, saying no to your kids and wondering what you could put on the table for dinner.

"But the fact that we are here every week can really make a difference.

"More and more people are in poverty."

Fliss admits there are people who come to them and feel embarrassed about asking for food.

But she says that is not an issue as you can make contact with Feed The Need anonymously online or drop into the community centre where you will not be singled out.

"We can use a Hugglescote community centre on a Thursday afternoon and now we have a little bit of money we can afford to rent it," explained Fliss.

"What we haven't got yet has any storage, so we're having to be pragmatic, we're keeping it in our houses and people are bringing it on the day.

"But we have a sponsor now, and he gives us some money every week, so we can afford to rent this space for two hours and supplementing what people are giving us.

"What we can do with this money is to buy some fruit, bread, milk, that sort of thing, Our sponsor is Laurence who lives in Ibstock. And he got to hear about us through Facebook.

"There's still a lot of embarrassment about asking for help, we're trying to get rid of that.

"The Facebook page really helps, because people can private message us and say, 'Can you help me?'

"It's confidential. It's anonymous. We respond by asking how we can help and what they need.

"But if you are coming to a community centre off the street, then you could coming in for anything. And a lot of people say they want something for their friend, so it's another way that they can distance themselves.

"But we don't ask any questions, and you don't have to give your name if you don't want.

"You can come in and we will make you welcome, it's between 1.30 and 3.00 in the afternoon every Thursday.

"We're also offering people who come in tea, coffee and biscuits, just trying to make it a bit more informal."

But Fliss says they are reliant on people contributing food.

"If people want to donate, that's brilliant, because to keep this going every week, we don't have any big supermarkets donating to uss, we rely on individuals," she said.

"They can phone us and we'll come and collect it, what we'd really like is if they took it to a donation point. We have some baskets in different public places around Coalville and beyond.

"And we have a waiting list of people waiting for our baskets! Which is lovely.

"We supply a basket with her name on it saying the kind of things we'd like to have. It's got a brilliant response so far.

"It's coming from the community, we even had people who we've helped who then, when they've had some money, have donated stuff in return. It feels as though we've started something quite special which the community want to look after.

"Volunteers are people coming from the community asking how the can get involved."

Fliss also hopes the scheme has another positive effect.

"We'd also like to help people with things like benefits. Are they getting what they're entitled to?," she said.

"Also, we'd like to train some members of this community to understand benefits and be in a position to help. They'd be independent and definitely on the side of the people they be helping, but those skills could be taken on into the workplace,"