More than 278,000 emergency food parcels given in the West Midlands
Out of the food parcels 103,892 were for children.
New figures released today by the Trussell Trust reveal that 278,230 emergency food parcels were provided to people facing hardship in the West Midlands between April 2022 and March 2023.
Around 103,892 of these parcels provided for children.
This is the most parcels food banks in the Trussell Trust network in the West Midlands have ever distributed in a single year and represents a 34% increase compared to last year.
The charity annual statistics also show that as an increasing number of people struggle to afford the essentials, across the UK more than 760,000 people accessed a food bank in the Trussell Trust network for the first time.
Speaking about the rising need for emergency food, Emma Revie, Chief Executive at the Trussell Trust, said:
“These new statistics are extremely concerning and show that an increasing number of people in the West Midlands are being left with no option but to turn to charitable, volunteer-run organisations to get by and this is not right. The continued increase in parcel numbers over the last five years indicates that it is ongoing low levels of income and a social security system that isn’t fit for purpose that are forcing more people to access food banks, rather than just the recent cost of living crisis or the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Food banks were set up to provide short-term support to people in an emergency, they are not a lasting solution to hunger and poverty, and more than three quarters of the UK population agree with us that they should not need to exist.
“The staff and volunteers in our network are working tirelessly to ensure help continues to be available, but the current situation is not one they can solve alone.
“For too long people have been going without because social security payments do not reflect life’s essential costs and people are being pushed deeper into hardship as a result. If we are to stop this continued growth and end the need for food banks then the UK government must ensure that the standard allowance of Universal Credit is always enough to cover essential costs.”
The majority of the UK public (77%) think that food banks should not be needed in the UK, with a strong majority agreeing (93%) that everyone should be able to buy enough food for themselves and their family.
To help ensure that everyone has the income they need to afford the essentials, the Trussell Trust is calling for the UK government to act now to strengthen our social security system.