A food bank in Eastleigh has admitted that it has run at a ‘significant financial deficit’ for the last two years, facing losses of £20,000 a year just to ‘keep shelves stocked.’

The Eastleigh Basics Bank helped over 3,080 households with their emergency pantry in 2024, spending over £1,000 per week at a wholesalers to provide support for the community.

But demand for their services continues to grow, and Chairman and Marketing Coordinator Dan Brain fears the bank is getting to a point where it can no longer be sustainable.

“We used to have a joke that we had a baked bean mountain in the warehouse,” Dan said.

“When that disappeared and became a molehill that really woke us up to how much was going out.

“The last couple of years, the demand has just shot through the roof. We’ve fed about 32% of all the people we’ve fed in the last 13 years, in the last two.”

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Dan worries that if the bank continues to face five-figure deficits for the next compel of years, it may not be able to operate at the same strong standard.

In a bid to stay financially sustainable, Eastleigh Basics Bank is launching a new campaign, asking locals to ‘be that one’ and join the community in donating just one item.

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Dan said: “We have always been of the firm belief if everyone in our community regularly gave just one item, we would not only meet our own needs but have a surplus to share with other charities.

“Hopefully by the end of this year, we’ll be having enough food coming in to meet the demand.”

The bank is run entirely by volunteers and is now investing in a better referral system to get clients to specialised agencies who can provide multiple sources of support.

“We’re aware that we’re in quite a privileged position in having a lot of support locally,” Dan said.

“So we want to help other charities who can provide more help to help our clients looking forward. That’s the ultimate aim, getting to the point where people don’t need us.”