Beds food bank says donations are down as everyone struggles with rising prices
A Bedfordshire food bank has changed the make up of their food parcels so meals can be made with little energy use
New research from the Trussell Trust, a charity which runs food banks across the country, has revealed that 40% of people claiming Universal Credit are skipping meals in order to survive.
One in five people weren't able to cook hot food this summer
In addition, one in five people said they were unable to cook hot food this summer because they couldn't afford to turn on the cooker and almost a quarter (23%) of people have been unable to travel due to the cost of fuel and public transport.
These figures have led to the charity calling on new Prime Minister Liz Truss to address the cost of living crisis in an emergency budget which is expected to be published on Wednesday 21 September.
The Trussell Trust has also said that food banks in its network provided 50% more parcels to people across the country in recent months, compared to the pandemic. That means a parcel is being provided to someone struggling every 13 seconds.
"More ... needs to be done around reducing the cost of heating and cooking"
Rosie George, who runs the Leighton Linslade Community Foodbank in Leighton Buzzard, says they've had a very busy couple of months and they've had to adapt the food they provide in order to help with rising energy bills.
She explained what goes into a food parcel: "Instead of just a random number of tins, it's actually enough meat that would be sufficient for a family, potatoes which don't need a lot of heating, and then vegetables.
"Whereas at one time we would've be worried about giving fresh vegetables, we now know there's a lot more that needs to be done around reducing the cost of heating and cooking."
She also added that the cost of living crisis is impacting those who normally donate to food banks: "The main concern will be, how we keep this stock.
"Because the people who are actually contributing to the food bank are really the same people who are going to have to be very careful with their utility bills and the cost of living. The donations that we're getting have been reduced."
"We have people that care"
But she stressed that as hard as things are, there's always support out there: "If I could show you the food that has been donated, that's where the strength of this country is and always will be - that we have people that care."
New Prime Minister, Liz Truss, has this week promised an announcement on a plan to freeze energy bills.