Middlesbrough Foodbank 'busier than ever' as it braces for winter
It could be its worst yet
A foodbank in Teesside says they are busier than ever as it braces itself for possibly its worst winter yet.
It comes as the Trussell Trust is forecasting more than a million emergency food parcels will be given out from December this year to February 2024.
Tracey Godfrey-Harrison from Middlesbrough Foodbank, which is part of the charity, said: "We're busier than ever at the moment and already this year we've fed 11,815 people. It makes me sad because there doesn't seem to be a solution any time soon so I know the demand is going to increase on our services.
"We're finding that people who have both partners with jobs are needing to come to the food bank because of the cost of living, having to put gas and electric on, so we're seeing right across the board really a mixture of people coming to use us.
"Our donations have dwindled obviously because of the cost of living. People are giving what they can when they can but we have to purchase food every week in order to keep the food bank going.
"The demand has been all year around for us really but I know it'll get worse because winter's coming in, people will have to keep their gas and electric topped up to keep their homes warm, so the demand will increase definitely in the winter.
"No-one should have to struggle. We have five vouchers in six months and we try and stick to that the best we can but if you need help then reach out. If we can't help you first hand then we can refer you to other places that will be able to help you."
The Trussell Trust forecast
Food banks across the Trussell Trust network are expecting to provide more than one million emergency food parcels between December 2023 and February 2024 – the most parcels ever provided across this period. This equates to an average of one food parcel every eight seconds (11,500 a day) and 7,000 people seeking support each day.
Between December and February last year, these food banks supported more than 220,000 children with emergency food, and 225,000 people who needed to use a food bank for the first time but it is anticipated these numbers will be even higher this year.
Food banks are calling on people in their local communities to donate, if they can, to ensure that they can continue to support everyone who needs their help.
While donations levels have remained stable compared to last year, the continued increase in need is leading to the vast majority of food banks having to purchase stock to make up for this shortfall.
A recent survey of 282 food banks indicated that in the last three months 93% had to purchase food, at a time when prices are higher than ever, in order to keep up with the rising levels of need. These pressures have also led to one in three (32%) food banks reporting that they are concerned about being able to continue running at their current level in the coming months.
Emma Revie, Chief Executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “We don’t want to spend every winter saying things at food banks are getting worse, but they are. Food banks are not the answer in the long term, but while we continue to fight for the change that could mean they can be closed for good your local food bank urgently needs your support.
“They need donations of food for emergency parcels, and money to fund costs such as the purchasing of food to meet the shortfall in donations they are currently experiencing.
“One in seven people in the UK face hunger because they don’t have enough money to live on. That’s not the kind of society we want to live in, and we won’t stand by and let this continue. Every year we are seeing more and more people needing food banks, and that is just not right.”
“Together, we have roots into hundreds of communities, and while someone facing hunger can’t change the structural issues driving the need for food banks on their own, thousands of us coming together can. We must end hunger across the UK so that no one needs a food bank to survive.”
Find out how you can support a food bank by visiting the Trussell Trust website. You can also find your local food bank, and details of the items they are most in need of too.