FOODBANK use in Glasgow has soared 23 per cent in the past year as bosses make a plea for cash donations as well as food.

Trussell Trust foodbanks in the city handed out 31,630 food parcels in 2017/18 - up from 25,733 in 2016/17.

This compares to an increase of 17 per cent for Scotland and 13 per cent UK-wide, as told in the Evening Times yesterday.

At one city foodbank, the rise in the number of three-day emergency food parcels given out was 47 per cent.

Now front line staff have said cash is needed so that the four city foodbanks - Glasgow NW, Glasgow NE, Glasgow SW and Glasgow SE - can meet demand.

Audrey Flannigan, manager of Glasgow SE Foodbank, said: "We need cash donations.

"People are very generous with food donations and we are grateful for that but we need cash to keep the operation running."

Audrey spoke out as the foodbank launched its latest endeavour - a cookbook developed by Strathclyde University students showing how to make nutritious meals from typical food parcel items.

Glasgow SE and Strathclyde have a partnership set up three years ago where Business Studies students work with the foodbank.

Now Pamela McCorgray, 22, and Mhairi Cameron, 20, have created a cookbook, which will be handed out to those who need help with recipe advice and cooking.

Audrey said: "We have people coming in who don't know what to do with the food, they literally don't know how to cook.

"So this will help, particularly families. The students have done a really creative job."

Pamela hopes to set up her own catering business and said volunteering in the foodbank has made her want to create an ethical company.

She said: "It has made me think about food waste and what can be done to give back to the community."

Mhairi added: "Creating the cookbook was quite tricky as the food we were working with was quite limited.

"But we hope people will appreciate the recipes and be able to make nutritious meals from them."

Iain Mitchell, senior widening access outreach officer at Strathclyde University, said: "We hope that by working with the foodbank it raises awareness among our students about different forms of disadvantage and how to give back.

"The university is happy to keep printing off the cookbook for the foodbank and making sure there are enough copies for the people who need it."

Across the city in Govan at Glasgow SW Foodbank, the number of supplies the charity is providing has risen by 47 per cent.

In the last year, 2017/18, Glasgow SW handed out 8821 three day emergency food supplies, meaning one in 20 of the 170,625 three day emergency food supplies handed out by Trussell Trust foodbanks in Scotland was provided by Glasgow SW Foodbank.

Three times in the two weeks before Christmas Glasgow SW fed more than 100 people in a single day.

Glasgow SE, in Govanhill, in the run up to Christmas gave out 57 food parcels in just two hours - feeding around 200 people.

Audrey said: "The biggest increase we have seen is among single people because there is nothing to support them - they don't get child benefit or child tax credit.

"We need more space but anywhere I've looked is going to cost us around £1000 a month in rent.

"So if anywhere wants to offer us a larger space for free then we would be delighted."

She also said the foodbank would greatly benefit from the donation of a van.