Number of food aid providers in Cornwall jumps to 180 in seven years
One foodbank says two thirds of those seeking help are doing so because of low income
Last updated 8th Jun 2022
The number of organisations providing food aid in Cornwall has jumped from 20 to 180 in just seven years.
The startling figure has been released as Cornwall Council assesses the impact of the cost of living crisis in Cornwall.
There has been an explosion in the number of community groups which are helping people access food alongside foodbanks.
Since 2015 the number of foodbanks operating in Cornwall has also risen sharply going from 15 to 28.
In July 2021 Cornwall Council found that there were 180 groups registered on its Help with Food map and a briefing prepared by the council indicated that many of these are clustered around the main towns in Cornwall and a significant number in the west of the Duchy.
Camborne, Pool, Redruth and Newquay among hardest hit areas
It added: "Camborne, Redruth and Pool have known areas of deprivation, and are also currently reporting high Universal Credit claimant numbers, suggesting residents may require greater financial (and food) support.
"Newquay is also currently highlighted as having high numbers of residents on Universal Credit and unemployment claimants, as well as lower levels of pay".
The Help with Food Map shows where food aid is being provided in Cornwall. These range from foodbanks and community pantry groups to youth groups which are offering meals to children and young people during school holidays.
In Penzance there are nine groups registered and in St Ives there are eight. In Truro there are 10 registered groups. There are another nine in Newquay and 13 in the St Austell area.
The Trussell Trust, which operates a number of foodbanks in Cornwall, has said that there has been a 19% increase in food parcel distribution in Cornwall between 2019 and 2021.
In January 2019 5,051 foodbank parcels were distributed and by 2021 that had increased to 5,681.
Families with children are identified as the most in need with the number of children being supported by foodbanks in Cornwall, rising by 30% compared to pre-pandemic figures.
In January 2019 2,881 foodbank parcels went to children and in 2021 that had risen to 3,750.
More people seeking help due to low income
Data from Truro Foodbank shows why people are seeking help – between October 2011 and September 2012 21% of people said it was due to “low income”, but by August 2021 that had increased to 66%
Manager Simon Fann said: "We're now feeding 100 people a week so it's double. The demand is double what it was (before the pandemic). So there are a lot more people in food crisis, there are a lot more people who are coming to a food bank for the first time.
"I can totally understand why there are more food aid providers because of the demand. The difficulty with that is that sometimes you can find these food aid providers are not working as complimentary or alongside each other as they could do.
"If you are in food crisis or nearing it then please do not leave it until you have absolutely nothing before you contact a foodbank or a food aid provider. Please do get in contact earlier so we can provide advice or help to avoid falling in to food crisis in the first place".
You can find the full list of places offering food aid in Cornwall on the council's online Food Map.