Buckfastleigh Foodbank provided a lifeline to many local families during the Covid pandemic, and its vital service continues thanks to a generous grant from the Devonshire Freemasons.

The group donated £4,000 from both its benevolent and charitable funds’ to help keep the Buckfastleigh Trussell Trust Foodbank in operation.

The foodbank serves up to 80 families each week but during the pandemic experienced an unprecedented increase in need.

Donations of food and cash are given by the public and supermarket collections, foodbank manager Felicity Ferry said, and to keep the centre running smoothly it takes 20 volunteers split into three teams to collect, sort and distribute the food.

Peter Keaty, assistant head of the Devonshire Freemasons, was impressed by the team’s dedication to helping local families.

He said: “It’s not been an easy time for anyone recently, and we were happy to support such a valuable community asset during these increasingly difficult times.”

Freemasons from Devon have donated more than £28,500 to foodbanks across the county over the last 12 months.

The Trussell Trust provided more than 5,100 emergency food parcels every day from April until September 2021 - an 11 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2019, as need for emergency food remains well above pre-pandemic levels.