Scores of people were seen lining up to fill their bags with supplies at a Swansea food share scheme amidst the cost of living crisis affecting the country.
People were seen collecting items out of boxes in the city’s Matthew Street, off High Street near Dyfatty, and filling their bags.
And in another part of the city, a table of goods free to anyone to collect was stripped of much of its contents in just 30 minutes.
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It comes as stark figures from the Trussell Trust revealed this week a 103% rise in the number of emergency food parcels being handed out in Swansea.
The Food Foundation has reported that 4.7 million adults and 2.5 million children are currently living in food insecurity in Britain.
The food share scheme where the queue formed is run by Ty Forest Hub and Shani Stephens, director and founder of the organisation which has been running the scheme for two years said if they brought tables it would take up too much room in their cars.
She said: “We do not want to limit the food we take. It's people coming shopping for themselves but with no money. We are offering a food share not a food bank as we believe there should not be a criteria.
“We do 32 pick-ups a week and we go to Matthew Street on a Tuesday. It is good food that is given that is surplus from the supermarket, it's saving a lot of people a lot of money. It's all fresh, perishable food.
“We want to make sure people are happy and safe. We have to put the food in our cars and we would love to take tables but we don't have the room.
“They can eat for free and save their money for their bills. There's a bit more demand but there has been demand throughout the pandemic.”
Volunteers were also handing out supplies at a food bank in Sandfields, Swansea, and shared an image showing most of the items were stripped from the table within half an hour.
Plans are in place to ensure items are available on Saturday due to the level of need.
One volunteer said: “By extremely shocking demand, we’ll be back with a No Referral No Questions Asked food bank from 10am to 12pm Fleet Street on Saturday, end of street towards the town side. Things go quick.”
Gower MP Tonia Antoniazzi dubbed the massive increase in foodbank usage in Swansea as the “shameful legacy” of Tory austerity.
She said even more families could face having to rely upon food banks due to the knock-on effect of food bills spiralling, inflation at a generational high and rising energy and petrol prices.
Labour tabled an opposition day motion in Parliament on Tuesday urging the government to focus its efforts on fixing the increasing squeeze on households.
Ms Antoniazzi, ahead of the Parliamentary debate, said: “It’s shocking but not surprising that food bank usage is up so drastically in Swansea because my constituents have been hammered by a wasted decade of Tory austerity. Welfare cuts, and broken promises on infrastructure investment like rail electrification and the tidal lagoon have had a real impact on my constituents.
“It has already been a tough winter for the 5,600 families in Gower who were hit by the Tories' £1,000 cut to Universal Credit. Now families are having to brace themselves for the biggest drop in living standards in 30 years.
“Steep price increases in everyday and essential food items are going to make the situation worse and I am worried that increasing numbers of households are going to struggle to cope.
“While inflation is spiralling and the cost-of-living crisis is taking hold, the Tories are preoccupied with infighting as Boris Johnson clings desperately onto his job.
“Swansea and Gower residents deserve better from this government and they won’t get it while Boris Johnson is in charge.”
Victoria Prentis, Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: “We know now that, sadly, energy costs are rising substantially, and we are of course monitoring the effects of that on prices of products for consumers extremely carefully.
“We carry out annual surveys looking at household expenditure on food, and we monitor that closely as well.
“Spending among the poorest 20% of households has been broadly stable for the last 14 years."
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