More than a third of people Colchester Food Bank help are children
It comes as a petition calling on the Government to end child food poverty is being debated today (24 May)
A petition calling on the Government to end child food poverty is being debated in Parliament today (24 May).
It has been signed by more than 1.1 million people.
Mike Beckett, chief officer of Colchester Food Bank, told Greatest Hits Radio Essex over a third of the people they help are children:
"A healthy start for young people makes all the difference.
"With Universal Credit uplift being cut, we think parents are going to find it very difficult to feed their children.
"Often parents do go without so their children don't have to.
"We're doing everything we can to make food available and to be ready for any family in a crisis so their children don't suffer.
"If you're going to invest in the country, the first thing to do is invest in our children because they are our future.
"It's common sense but it bears repeating.
"If we invest in our children now, we give them a good grounding, they're able to concentrate, they're able to stay with their families and they're able to continue going."
He also spoke about what difference the petition could make to people in Colchester:
"It could well be that the food bank could look at reducing its service and maybe even closing in good time.
"We'd like nothing better than the food bank not to be needed.
"That is, I suppose, our ultimate aim - to close through lack of demand.
"We're always trying to signpost people on, trying to point out how Government could improve things."
Mike added that with the pandemic, the food bank has had a 47 per cent increase in demand.
The petition states the Government should support vulnerable children and end child food poverty by implementing three recommendations from the National Food Strategy:
"With the Child Food Poverty Taskforce, I am calling for Government to allocate money to expand free school meals to all under-16s where a parent or guardian is in receipt of Universal Credit or equivalent benefit, provide meals and activities during all holidays and increase the value of Healthy Start vouchers to at least £4.25 per week, and expand the scheme.
"These three recommendations must be implemented without delay to #endchildfoodpoverty."
People can find out more about supporting Colchester Food Bank here.