Here is an uncomfortable truth to ruin your day: there are more than twice the number of foodbanks in the UK than McDonald's restaurants. Yes, really. The fast food chain has around 1,300 outlets in the country while the government estimates we have more than 1,400 Trussell Trust food banks, on top of at least 1,172 independent food banks.
Now the cost of living squeeze has compounded this already bleak picture. In July it emerged that members of NHS staff in Wales had been sent an email from bosses with advice on how to access foodbanks. Meanwhile foodbanks in Caerphilly and Swansea told WalesOnline that they are running out of food as demand soars and fewer people can afford to donate.
For a clearer idea of how bad things have got in the last year I paid a visit to the headquarters of Cardiff Foodbank – a Trussell Trust food bank – where all the donated food arrives before its allocated to eight distribution centres around the city, which is where people pick up their parcels. The HQ is located in a big warehouse in Cardiff Bay Business Park where all the donations are organised in crates.
