// BBC BUSINESS NEWS — FINANZA
Baby bank's urgent appeal as demand for help grows
Chantal Nogbou founded Leeds Baby Bank in 2017 and the charity marks its first decade in January
The founder of a charity which provides essentials like Moses baskets, prams, nappies and clothes to struggling families across Leeds has said it urgently needs more donations to help keep up with demand.
Chantal Nogbou said there had been a "massive increase" in the number of people referred by health and social care professionals to Leeds Baby Bank in recent months.
Nogbou said staff had helped an "unprecedented" 550 families in Leeds since the start of June, and were expecting numbers to rise as winter loomed.
"We get even more people needing help then because they want to put the heating on, but they still need to buy nappies and feed and clothe their child," she said.
Nogbou founded Leeds Baby Bank in 2017 when she was a single parent of four children, including twins, and she realised how many other families were struggling.
More families than ever have been referred to Leeds Baby Bank for help since the start of June, according to the charity
The charity will be 10 years old in January and Nogbou said that staff had seen a change in the families who needed their support over time.
"When we started, pre-Covid, maybe one in five children in Leeds lived in relative poverty," she explained.
"Now, you're looking at one in two children in some parts, and that's just a shocking number that really shouldn't be happening."