Nearly 270 people have received emergency supplies from Sittingbourne’s food bank since it opened last December.

The Trussell Trust, which runs the facility, says increasing numbers of cash-strapped people are asking for food parcels due to soaring living costs.

The charity’s network director, Adrian Curtis, said: “We’re seeing that hunger remains a major issue for low-income families and individuals in Kent.

“We need to learn more from the realities of life for people struggling, and make sure that no incomes are too low to live on.

“We look forward to the day that we can announce a decrease in numbers needing food banks like the one in Sittingbourne.”

His comments come as the latest figures show 7,115 people across Kent used food banks between April and September.

“We’re seeing that hunger remains a major issue for low-income families and individuals in Kent," Trussell Trust network director Adrian Curtis

New research from national organisation Turn2Us, which helps people in need gain access to financial support, also shows that one in two low-income households are struggling to afford their energy costs, and that 33 per cent of those struggling have had to skip meals.

Sittingbourne food bank project manager Sue Hislope said: “It’s really sad to see people in a situation where they need to ask for food.

“The people that are coming through our door are usually going on benefits or their benefits have stopped completely and there doesn’t seem to be anything to help those in the interim.

“Murston seems to be the area where we see most people coming in looking to feed their families, but the problem extends across Sittingbourne and not just that area.”

Ms Hislope is one of 10 volunteers who manage the Sittingbourne food bank.

It relies completely on donations to provide emergency food parcels, which include tinned meat, vegetables, long-life milk and toiletries.

With so many people turning to the food bank for help, Ms Hislope said one of the key challenges was not just about finding supplies but where to keep them.

She said: “We are struggling to store the food at the moment. We’ve come to a desperate situation ourselves where we’re looking to get more adequate space.”

The food bank runs from Net Church in East Street on Tuesdays from 11.30am to 1.30pm and again at the Baptist Church in the High Street on Friday from 10am to 12pm.

• Anyone looking to donate food can visit http://sittingbourne.foodbank.org.uk