Generous shoppers yesterday piled their trollies high to help the hungry.

Norwich Foodbank, a charity which offers boxes of food for people in crisis, collected non-perishable food items for local people at Sainsbury's supermarket on Pound Lane, Thorpe St Andrew. Between 9am and 4.30pm, Norwich Foodbank welcomed donations of sugar, cartons of milk, fruit juices, soup, tinned groceries, rice, pasta, biscuits and cereals.

Foodbank estimates Norwich has 30,000 people living on the edge of poverty and 32pc of all children are affected by income deprivation.

Norwich foodbank currently has five outlets in the city.

Sainsbury's spokesman Linda Andrews said: 'We wish to thank customers who very generously supported Norwich Foodbank during their collection day; in this way our customers are kindly supporting local Norwich people in times of crisis who will benefit greatly from their kindness.'

Foodbank organiser Grant Habershon said: 'It has gone really well. We must have received more than half a tonne of food. We gave people a shopping list of what we put in our boxes. People donated a lot of nappies and baby milk which we are grateful for.

'The demand for emergency food for local people in crisis is increasing. Norwich Foodbank gave three days' worth of food to 253 local people in June and 279 in July. All this food was donated by the public. The foodbank works with more than 40 local frontline care professionals who refer local people in crisis to them.'

The charity, which is part of the Trussell Trust, assists families in sudden crisis, such as redundancy, benefit delay, illness, bereavement or when an unexpected large bill leaves people unable to feed their family.

Last month, Foodbank gave food to 279 people, 10pc up on June. Children make up 42pc of the total.

To find out how you can donate, log on to www.norwichfood bank.co.uk or call 07955 920590.

Are you organising an event for charity? Contact Lucy Wright on 01603 772495 or email lucy.wright@archant.co.uk

Pictured above are Norwich Foodbank warehouse managers Tony and Pam Saunders collecting donations from shoppers at Sainsbury's in Pound Lane, Thorpe St Andrew.

PHOTO: SIMON FINLAY