Norfolk foodbank warns demand continues to out-strip supply
The number of food parcels handed out by The Trussell Trust across Norfolk has increased by nearly 80%in the last five years
The woman in charge of a foodbank in Norfolk is telling us that ever rising demand is continuing to out-strip the supply of donations and good coming in.
It's as new data shows the number of emergency food parcels handed out by The Trussell Trust across Norfolk has increased by nearly 80% in the last five years.
"If demand keeps going up, we're really going to struggle"
Hannah Worsley is from Norwich Foodbank: "We've done a big shop today and we're predicting that it will last us no more than a few days because there's just such a high and ever-rising demand.
"We're seeing single people, single parent families and older people.
"We're seeing those in secure work and insecure work, those on benefits and those who are homeless. The only thing that binds them all together is that they're all struggling for longer.
"We keep on saying that we don't want to be here, but Norwich Foodbank has been here since 2010 and we're busier than ever.
"We're in the position now where we're already thinking about the winter and saying that if demand keeps going up, we're really going to struggle.
What do the most recent figures show?
Total Parcels Distributed, (between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024)
Breckland - 8,778
Broadland - 711
Great Yarmouth - 5,361
King's Lynn and West Norfolk - 7,949
North Norfolk - 6,484
Norwich - 12,538
South Norfolk - 4,510
TOTAL: 46,331
Total Parcels Distributed, (between 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019)
Breckland - 5,367
Broadland - 535
Great Yarmouth - N/A
King's Lynn and West Norfolk - 5,044
North Norfolk - 3,166
Norwich - 9,564
South Norfolk - 2,289
TOTAL - 25,965
"Supportive social security system"
The Trussell Trust has called on political parties to commit, ahead of a general election, to tackling the problem, urging them to back a "supportive social security system" and better support for parents, carers and people with disabilities who can face increased living costs.
Emma Revie, its chief executive, said: "It's 2024 and we're facing historically high levels of food bank need. As a society, we cannot allow this to continue. We must not let food banks become the new norm.
"As we approach the next UK General Election, we urgently need all political leaders to set out how they will build a future where no one needs a food bank to survive.
Voters want to see a change and we need cross-government action at all levels to deliver it. We know what's pushing people to food banks, so we know what needs to change."
What's the Government doing?
The Government said its cost-of-living support package had prevented 1.3 million people falling into poverty in 2022-23 and reiterated that it had uprated benefits, raised the state pension and was "raising the National Living Wage, cutting taxes and driving down inflation while investing billions through our Back to Work Plan".
It also says there are a range of cost of living support payments available for those struggling.