A CHARITY which delivers food to some of Oxford’s most vulnerable people has dished out more than £30,000 worth of grub in just seven months.

Re-plenish, based in Lam-arsh Road, Botley, has been distributing food to city charities since it launched last July.

Spokesman Robin Aitken said : “We are very happy with how everything has gone so far.

“Since operations began, the food bank estimates that it has distributed food with a retail value in excess of £30,000.

Every night, charities, shelters and community centres receive boxes of produce delivered to their doors.

The food is donated by Sainsbury’s in Kidlington.

Re-plenish distributes food which is past its sell-by date, but within its use-by date, through a team of about 30 volunteers.

All the food is sorted at the charity’s headquarters before being sent out.

The scheme is estimated to cost between £50,000 and £75,000 a year to run, with some funding already coming from the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership.

On Wednesday, Christ Church Cathedral donated £1,400 raised through plate collections to the charity.

Mr Aitken said: “We are most grateful to the cathedral for its generosity.

“Our operation currently works on an entirely voluntary basis but we have running costs for things like vehicles and premises costs and this money will be used to keep the food bank going.”

The cathedral has nine nominated charities – three local, three national and three international – and Re-plenish is one of the local causes.

Students at Somerville College have also donated, giving the charity £1,040 last month.

Mental health centre the Mill, in Cowley Road, Donnington Doorstep, Lucy Faithfull House and Oxford Soup Kitchen are among the groups to benefit, with fruit, vegetables and baked items among the food delivered.

More than 1.6 million tons of waste food is dumped in UK landfill sites every year.

Re-plenish’s premises, which formerly housed Oxonian Rewley Press, have been donated rent-free by city businessman Pete Mills.