West Sussex foodbank use almost doubles in a year
Thousands were in need of help during the first six months of lockdown
The number of food parcels being handed out by foodbanks in West Sussex has almost doubled in a year, according to figures covering the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic.
Data released by the Trussell Trust shows 16,821 food parcels were distributed at the charity's 18 sites across the county between April 1st and September 30th this year.
Of those, 9,977 (59%) went to adults and a further 6,844 (41%) to children.
That compares with a total of 9,074 to people of all ages during the same time period in 2019 - 5,674 for adults (63%), 3,400 for children (37%).
The Trussell Trust said a record 1.2 million parcels were given to people struggling to afford essentials nationally between April and September, and warned the figures are "the tip of the iceberg".
They added that the figures do not include the number of people helped by community organisations, independent food banks and local authorities.
Emma Revie, the charity's chief executive, said volunteers have been working hard to support people in need, but added it is "not right that any of us are forced to use a charity for food, at any time of year".
She added: "In the last few weeks we’ve seen incredible compassion and concern for people facing hunger following Marcus Rashford’s brilliant campaigning, and it's hugely welcome to see the Government build on steps already taken by providing significant new funding for local councils in England.
“This vital local support must work in co-ordination with a national welfare system that is strong enough to act as a lifeline to anyone struggling to afford the essentials."
“This pandemic has shown the unexpected can hit us suddenly, with devastating consequences for people’s lives, but it’s also shown we can make huge changes to the way we live and look after each other."
Across the UK, food bank demand in the six months to September increased by 47% compared to the same period last year.
More than a third of food parcels went to children during this period – 470,000 in total.
The charity voiced concern that food banks in its network may see high levels of need over the winter and beyond, particularly as redundancies increase.
The top three reasons for someone being referred to a food bank in the Trussell Trust’s network over the period were low income, benefit delays and sickness or ill health.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said:
“We are committed to making sure that the most vulnerable in our society are protected and we’ve put in place a strong package of support to ensure children and their families do not go hungry during this pandemic.
“Our additional £400 million of funding includes £170 million to help families stay warm and well-fed this winter, a further £16 million to provide immediate support to frontline food aid charities, and £220 million Holiday Activities and Food programme."
Here are the total number of food parcels handed out by Trussell Trust foodbanks between April and September 2019 and April and September 2020, by local authority area (please note that no figures are available for Crawley):
Adur
2019: 834 - 591 to adults (71%), 243 to children (29%)
2020: 3,535 - 2,281 to adults (65%), 1,254 to children (35%)
Increase: 2,701 (323.8%)
Arun
2019: 2,747 - 1,800 to adults (66%), 947 to children (34%)
2020: 2,846 - 1,932 to adults (68%), 914 to children (32%)
Increase: 99 (3.6%)
Chichester
2019: 1,502 - 882 to adults (59%), 620 to children (41%)
2020: 1,978 - 1,174 to adults (59%), 804 to children (41%)
Increase: 476 (31.7%)
Horsham
2019: 1,212 - 724 to adults (60%), 488 to children (40%)
2020: 3,944 - 2,204 to adults (56%), 1,740 to children (44%)
Increase: 2,732 (225.4%)
Mid Sussex
2019: 1,842 - 1,013 to adults (55%), 829 to children (45%)
2020: 3,575 - 1,757 to adults (49%), 1,818 to children (51%)
Increase: 1,733 (94.1%)
Worthing
2019: 937 - 664 to adults (71%), 273 to children (29%)
2020: 943 - 629 to adults (67%), 314 to children (33%)
Increase: 6 (0.6%)