The Trussell Trust, which is the UK's biggest foodbank provider, is joining forces with the debt charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) to expand support on offer at its branches.
External relations manager at CAP, Helen Webb, told Premier: "Obviously, we receive a large number of referrals from foodbanks across the UK into our services... So, it made real sense to us, to look at having a national partnership with them."
With the Trussell Trust reporting that debt and low income are among the most common causes of UK hunger, CAP found in a survey that 93 per cent of its clients were able to feed their families after receiving advice from a debt counsellor.
#BREAKING NEWS: CAP is formally partnering with @TrussellTrust to bring vital help to people in crisis! https://t.co/iHQooROWA2 pic.twitter.com/ZjUVRkDUqC
— CAPuk (@CAPuk) February 15, 2017
Adrian Curtis, foodbank network director for The Trussell Trust, said: "We know that people who visit foodbanks often have a range of complex needs and we're delighted to now be formally linked with CAP, as well as CMA (the Community Money Advice agency), to ensure these most vulnerable people get the invaluable support these charities can offer.
"This new agreement means it will be even more easy for people with debt, unemployment, or budgeting problems to find a more positive future."
There is already a natural crossover between the two organisations, with many churches running Trussell Trust foodbanks alongside a CAP centre.
Helen Webb from CAP added: "Over half of our clients need emergency food aid before working with us. We want to find the place where our clients are and it looks like lots of them are coming via the foodbanks, so we wanted to formally partner with them."
Click here to listen to Helen Webb speaking with Premier's Marcus Jones: