Starving kids a ‘stain on society’ as food bank parcels reach record highs
People can't even afford the basics.
More children than ever are relying on foodbank parcels to save them from hunger as more than 1,000,000 were distributed in a record-breaking year.
The number of food parcels handed out by the Trussell Trust has soared in the last five years, doubling to more than 3.1million in the year ending March 2024.
Over a third of those distributed by local foodbanks went to children.
Emma Revie, the foodbank network’s chief executive, said: ‘It’s 2024 and we’re facing historically high levels of food bank need.
‘As a society, we cannot allow this to continue. We must not let food banks become the new norm.’
Val McKie, a former management consultant in the North West, found herself relying on foodbanks after her life took a tragic turn.
Her landlord evicted her not long after her husband died, leaving her ‘destitute’ and couch-surfing as her income dried up.
She said: ‘I was overwhelmed with shame at the situation I was in.
‘I struggled for years before I found the courage and strength to ask for help, these feelings are shared by so many people who need the support of food banks.’
The number of first-time foodbank users actually dropped from the previous year.
But at 655,000, it’s still a 40% increase on five years ago.
This is despite the government claiming to have saved 1.3million people from falling into poverty with a cost-of-living support package.
It may have raised the National Living Wage and cut taxes, but older people, especially those in rental accommodation, are particularly hard hit by soaring food and energy prices.
A rising cost of living leaves them ‘facing hunger and severe hardship’ as they struggle to afford food and other essentials, the Trussell Trust warned.
The number of parcels given to households containing someone of pension age rose by more than a quarter to 179,000.
Such an ‘alarming’ increase has been seen at Leeds South and East Foodbank, part of the network of more than 1,300.
Its operations manager, Wendy Doyle, said: ‘Our volunteers are telling us that they are dealing with pensioners who can’t afford to put food on the table due to having to pay higher energy costs and that is the choice they are having to make.’
Foodbank donations are also rising as people chip in what they can to help people falling through the gaps.
Britons donated nearly £1billion in 2023, up by more than £330milllion from the previous year, according to the Charities Aid Foundation.
The average donation rose from £22 to £32 as the same number of people donated more cash.
Chief executive Neil Heslop to say it’s ‘heartwarming’ to see ‘even when times are tough.
Despite finding a lifeline in food parcels, Val sees them as a ‘stain on our society’, symptomatic of a need that must be eradicated.
Instead of leaving struggling people relying on foodbanks, Val believes they should be replaced with ‘a society where everyone can flourish’.
With a general election looming, that’s echoed by the Trussell Trust in its call for political parties to back a ‘supportive social security system’ that better supports parents, carers and people with disabilities.
Revie said: ‘As we approach the next UK General Election, we urgently need all political leaders to set out how they will build a future where no one needs a food bank to survive.
‘Voters want to see a change and we need cross-government action at all levels to deliver it.
‘We know what’s pushing people to food banks, so we know what needs to change.’
To combat the extremes of poverty, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation proposed that the government guarantee a minimum amount of support so people can afford essentials.
Iain Porter, senior policy adviser at the social change organisation, said: ‘This is not what an economy returning to full health looks like.
‘The latest record-breaking emergency food parcel figures show the painful economic reality facing families with the least.’
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