Thousands of people will be relying on emergency food banks this Christmas as food poverty levels in the UK hit at an all-time high

As Tesco launch the Neighbourhood Food Collection in a bid to help emergency food banks, new figures have revealed that more and more people are unable to afford to feed themselves in the UK…

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by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

At Christmas, most of us are worrying about being able to afford presents for our families; from electronic gadgets to the latest mat-have toy, there's a lot to budget for - and it can get stressful.

But it pales into insignificance when you compare it to the tens of thousands of families who are having to choose between eating and heating this winter.

The Trussell Trust have revealed that at least 60,000 people, including 20,000 children, will receive help from one of its 400 emergency food banks over the festive period. Thousands more families will be relying on other charities for food.

"The deeply distressing reality for Britain this Christmas is that thousands of families will struggle to put food on the table"

In fact, the Trussell Trust, which runs 400 food banks across the UK, have handed out supplies to more than 350,000 people between April and September this year.

A third of those being helped were children, and a third needed food following a delay in the payment of benefits.

That's triple the numbers helped in the same period last year - and the spike in figures suggests that, worryingly, food poverty levels are at an all-time high in the United Kingdom.

The number of people using food banks has trebled in the last year, sparking concerns over food poverty levels in the UK
The number of people using food banks has trebled in the last year, sparking concerns over food poverty levels in the UK

Chris Mould, the chief executive of The Trussell Trust, said: "The deeply distressing reality for Britain this Christmas is that thousands of families will struggle to put food on the table. We're already meeting parents who are choosing between eating and heating."

Earlier this month Frank Field, the Labour MP for Birkenhead, said he feared that food banks would become a permanent part of the "welfare scene".

And recently Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, said: "Food banks aren't going to go away any time soon. Prices are rising more than three times faster than wages."

WHAT ARE EMERGENCY FOOD BANKS?

Emergency food banks are set up by charities in order to provide food to those in need. There are many reasons why people in the UK are struggling to feed themselves and their families; from redundancy or illness, to benefit delay, domestic violence or family breakdown, it is becoming harder and harder for people to buy food.

Emergency food banks provide food parcels for those most in need

And emergency food banks, such as those set up by the Trussell Trust, are seeking to help those in need, handing out emergency three-day food packages to help tide people over when times are hard.

WHERE DOES THE FOOD COME FROM?

All food is donated by the public and sorted by volunteers.

WHO USES EMERGENCY FOOD BANKS?

"People can’t just turn up asking for free food, they are referred by professionals," says Chris Mould, executive chair of the Trust. Frontline care professionals, such as doctors and social workers identify people in crisis and issue a food voucher - which can be exchanged for three days worth of food.

Example 1

A primary school boy from Gloucester stopped attending school because he could not face the embarrassment of having no money for lunch. On visiting his home to deliver a food bank parcel, supplied by the Trussell Trust, the school’s liaison officer discovered there was no food, except oats and milk.

The boy had been skipping school because he couldn't afford lunches

The mother of two explained that her husband had left her and that the benefits were in his name. He had not been contributing towards child care since leaving and when she informed the Benefits Agency all benefits were stopped, including child benefit, because of her ‘change in circumstances’. The support worker estimated that it would take two to four months for the benefits to be re-assessed.

Example 2

Anne-Marie and Danny were hit by a delay in benefits at the same time as Danny was off work with flu. He received no sick pay and finances got so tight that they were faced with eviction as well as having no money for food.

The couple and their 18-month-old daughter, Tia, were living and sleeping in one room to reduce heating bills. They resorted to borrowing a tin of soup from their neighbours to stop little Tia going hungry. When the food bank delivered an emergency food box to the family there was already ice on the inside of their windows - and they were overwhelmingly grateful.

WHAT DO PEOPLE RECEIVE IN THEIR FOOD PACKAGES?

Clients receive three days of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food in exchange for their food voucher. In fact many food banks, such as those run by the Trussell Trust, work with dieticians to ensure that the packages they're providing are nutritious.

A typical shopping list includes…

People are encouraged to buy one or two items on the list and donate them at their Neighbourhood Food Collection

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

"If people come to a food bank more than three times in six months our system automatically flags this so that the foodbank manager can contact their social worker or the service that referred them to make sure that there is a plan in place to help their client break out of poverty," Mould says.

The Trust insists that the reality is that without food banks people go hungry, and they prevent people from turning to extreme measures such as shoplifting or rummaging through bins in order to eat.

HOW CAN I HELP?

The Trussell Trust is partnering with Tesco and Fareshare to launch the Neighbourhood Food Collection across the UK, which seeks to provide emergency food to more local people in crisis. By donating a can or two of food at your local Tesco store on 29th, 30th November or 1st December you can help stop people going hungry in your area. And, as well as hosting the collection, Tesco will also 'top-up' your food donations by 30%, making your gift go even further.

Rebecca Ferguson helped launch the Neighbourhood Food Collection scheme at Tescos earlier today

Simply pick up one of our shopping lists and donate an item or two, three or four at your nearest store.

Have you ever used an emergency food bank? Will you be donating food this Christmas? Comment below for your chance to win a £25 supermarket voucher

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