More than a million people went to Trussell Trust foodbanks last year – with the south-west England’s second most affected region

 

During 2014-2015 more than a million people used Trussell Trust foodbanks compared to 900,000 in the previous year.  The south-west region was second only to the north-west for the number of people in England receiving three days emergency food from the charity’s 400 foodbanks.

This is the first year in which more than a million people have used the charity’s foodbanks – and that figure includes 400,000 children.

The Trussell Trust is a Christian charity originating in Salisbury.  It runs the largest network of foodbanks in the UK – everyone who comes to a Trussell Trust foodbank is referred by a professional such as a social worker, health visitor or schools liaison officer.

In the south-west region between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2015, 67,858 adults and 38,434 children received three days’ food giving a total of 106,292 – up on the previous year’s total for the region of 105,521.

The Devizes foodbank, which supplies Marlborough, had slightly fewer users last year: 1,312 adults against 1,447 in 2013-2014, and 622 children against 917 the previous year.  But the number of food boxes handed out rose by 37 to 567.  There was fall from 524 to 439 in the number of family boxes handed out.  This is thought to be because the reduction in staff at local children’s centres (Pewsey and Marlborough) and reduced family liaison staff at St John’s Academy, has led to fewer referrals of families in need.

Trussell Trust UK’s foodbank director, Adam Curtis, explains the significance of the latest figures: “Despite welcome signs of economic recovery, hunger continues to affect significant numbers of men, women and children in the UK today.”

“It’s difficult to be sure of the full extent of the problem as Trussell Trust figures don’t include people who are helped by other food charities or those who feel too ashamed to seek help.”

“Trussell Trust foodbanks are increasingly hosting additional services like debt counselling and welfare advice at our foodbanks, which is helping more people out of crisis. The Trussell Trust’s latest figures highlight how vital it is that we all work to prevent and relieve hunger in the UK.” 
 
Issuing their latest figures the Trust quotes a mother at a children’s holiday lunch club who said that she was skipping meals to feed her children but couldn’t bring herself go to a foodbank: “There are people out there more desperate than me. I’ve got a sofa to sell before I’ll go to the food bank. It’s a pride thing. You don’t want people to know you’re on benefits.”
 
Whilst problems with benefits remain the largest driver of foodbank use, there has been an increase over the last year in numbers referred due to low income.  In the South West, benefit delays accounted for 33 per cent of referrals, ‘low income’ accounted for 23 per cent of referrals and benefit changes accounted for 14 per cent of referrals.

Nationally, ‘low income’ referrals have grown from 20 per cent in 2013/14 to 22 per cent of all referrals in 2014/15. Foodbank managers reported that clients who are in work are struggling with insecure work, low wages and high living costs.  Benefit delays and changes have proportionately decreased from 48 per cent to 44 per cent.  Referrals to foodbanks due to sickness, homelessness, delayed wages and unemployment have increased slightly.

The wider implications of these statistics have been highlighted by Dr John Middleton, Vice President of Faculty of Public Health: “The rising number of families and individuals who cannot afford to buy sufficient food is a public health issue that we must not ignore.”

“UK poverty is already creating massive health issues for people today, and if we do not tackle the root causes of food poverty now we will see it affecting future generations too.  The increased burden of managing people’s health will only increase if we do not address the drivers of people to foodbanks.”

The Trussell Trust’s 400+ foodbanks are run in partnership with churches and communities. Over 90 per cent of Trussell Trust foodbanks provide additional services as well as food – to help people out of crisis for the long term.

And over 90 per cent of food given out by Trussell Trust foodbanks is donated by the public – last year the UK public donated 10,280 tonnes of food.