'I look forward to the day we can close': Rutland foodbank has busiest year on record
Nearly 800 parcels were sent out across the county from 2022-23, with over half of those going to households
Rutland Foodbank has recorded its busiest ever year, since first opening ten years ago.
In the last 12 months, 776 emergency food parcels were sent to people struggling to make ends meet in the county.
Over half of those packages went to households with children, while a fifth went to those in work that still couldn't afford to buy food.
Chair of the charity, Ali Wainwright, says she's looking forward to the day foodbanks are no longer needed in the UK:
'We've actually fed 2,123 residents and we've been able to send out meal ingredients for over 44,000 meals.'
'What's of concern to us is the rise in the number of households with children needing support. '
'One of the other things we've noticed is the number of people using the foodbank for the first time this year. We look forward to the time where, actually, we don't need foodbanks in the UK.'
The rise in the need for foodbanks across the United Kingdom
Director of Policy, Research and Impact at the Trussell Trust Network, Helen Barnard, said a rise in the demand for foodbanks across the UK isn't just a pandemic or cost-of-living related issue.
"We've seen it's more than a one-third increase in a year. But actually, I also think it's important that we look at the longer-term trend, this isn't just a pandemic effect or a cost-of-living effect."
“We looked back over the last five years and the need has been climbing steeply over that time.”
Helen added that 'most people turning to foodbanks had exhausted all other options, such as help from friends and family.'
The Trussell Trust doesn't just offer food, Helen said: “They will try and help people look at the root causes. There will be advisors there so you can get advice on whether you are getting the right benefits, for instance.”
But, people are finding that they still need foodbanks: “What we're finding is, even when people have been helped to get everything they should, the actual amount you're getting in social security doesn't cover the cost of essentials. It's not linked to the real cost of life.”
'Universal credit isn't covering the cost of essentials'
Helen told us that a single person needs £120 per week to cover the cost of essentials, but Universal Credit is only offering £85, resulting in a shortfall of £35.
Asked how The Trussell Trust were tackling this problem, Helen called on the government to put an essentials guarantee into Universal Credit:
“When we think about this number of people who are living in destitution, the effect on people's health, is just appalling. The effect on your mental health, if you are living hand to mouth, if you're lying awake, worrying about debts, if you can't eat properly or stay warm, the effect on your mental health and your physical health is tremendous.
“The NHS is under enormous strain, we are piling pressure on it by allowing people to have to live like this, so it feels as if we are fuelling some of our other big national challenges by not dealing with this fundamental problem.”
A Government spokesperson said: "We are committed to eradicating poverty and we recognise the pressures of the rising cost of living which is why we have uprated benefits by 10.1% as well as making an unprecedented increase to the National Living Wage this month.
"This is on top of changes already made to Universal Credit which mean claimants can keep more of their hard-earned money - a boost worth £1,000 a year on average.
"We are also providing record levels of direct financial support for the most vulnerable - £1,200 last year and a further £1,350 in 2023/24, with over eight million families starting to receive their first £301 Cost of Living instalment from yesterday - while the Household Support Fund is helping people with essential costs."