Brendan Dempsey has helped feed thousands of hard-pressed families in the Cork region in his role as vice-president of St Vincent de Paul. Now he’s delighted a dedicated, professional charity is about to take up the strain.

Food banks are to be set up by charities across the country in an attempt to feed the estimated 600,000 people suffering from food poverty.

Over 5,000 free curries will be dished out in Cork to highlight how much food is still wasted, writes Joe McNamee