Huge rise in number of people needing support from Harrogate Food Bank
There's been a 70% increase in food parcels handed out
There's been a huge increase in the number of people needing support from Harrogate Food Bank.
Figures from the Trussell Trust show there has been a 70% increase in the number of parcels handed out from April to September this year, compared to the same period in 2019 before the pandemic hit.
From April to September this year, 1770 food parcels were distributed compared to 1037 in the same time in 2019.
As more and more people across the country face destitution – meaning they are unable to afford the absolute essentials to eat, stay warm, dry and clean – the Trussell Trust has warned that the need for emergency food is expected to rise further still, this winter and beyond. Food banks in the Trussell Trust network face giving out more than 7,000 food parcels every day in December.
Many families already at breaking point face the fallout of the £20 per week cut from Universal Credit payments that hit this autumn. This is on top of rising fuel costs during the coldest season, as well as soaring inflation.
The charity say this is forcing many families deeper into poverty and is leaving people facing impossible decisions where their only option is to either skip meals to provide food for their children or heat their home.
Dawn Pearson, project manager at Harrogate Food Bank, said:
"Between Harvest Festival and leading up to Christmas it is a very busy time. With what's going on in the world at the moment like increasing bills and food costs we're a lot busier than normal. We did away with our normal procedure where we would usually offer three vouchers in a sixth month period. We had to help people way beyond what we should've had to but they were desperate.
"None of us know what tomorrow brings. We're two or three payment cheques away from being homeless or not having any food to put on the table. We can't judge and sometimes people have to come through our door through dire circumstances that are not made of their own.
"We want people to come to food bank and for them to be comfortable and feel welcome. We'll chat with you, give you some food but we'll try and get you some long-term help too."
Emma Revie, Chief Executive at Trussell Trust, said:
“Everyone in the UK should be able to afford the essentials – to buy their own food and heat their homes. Yet food banks in our network continue to see more and more people facing destitution with an increase in food parcels going to children. This is not right.
“Our food bank managers expect need to grow further still, saying they will need to provide more than 7,000 food parcels a day during December, as many families are faced with an even tougher winter ahead. This must stop.
“The answer must be for us to have the stability of a strong enough social security system to protect any one of us when we need it. We need government at all levels to take action and are asking the public to help fight hunger this winter and join the campaign to fight for a future without the need for food banks.”
Join the Trussell Trust’s Winter Appeal now by donating vital funds to help us campaign for change so that no one needs a food bank in the future.