UK’s Food Bank Demand Surges 46% Ahead Of ‘Worst Winter Yet’

By Staff, Agencies

Food banks are facing their hardest winter yet as soaring demand fueled by the rising cost of living outstrips donations.

Leading charity The Trussell Trust, which supports a network of 1,300 food bank centers, today launches an emergency appeal, warning that “the soaring cost of living is driving a tsunami of need to food banks.”

The demand has been particularly acute over the past few months, with the charity distributing 46 per cent more emergency food parcels to banks in August and September compared to the same months in 2021.

This is the first time the Trussell Trust has recorded a widening gap between donations and food being distributed.

Some 1.3 million emergency food packages, which are designed to feed a family with three-day worth of meals, will be needed in the next six months, the charity said. This includes half a million children.

Food banks are struggling to meet the increased need and are having to purchase three times as much food as they did last year, they warned. This financial year, food banks have brought approximately 1,400 tons of food – equivalent to 111 double decker buses.

Banks are also having to dig deep from their own funds and have spent almost £1,400 a month on average topping up food donations. This is a significant increase from last year, when food banks were spending just over £750 a month on average.

Any money raised from the emergency appeal will go towards grants for food banks, offering financial advice at food banks, and additional support to keep the banks operating as they too face increasing energy bills and running costs.