More than 26,000 emergency food parcels were given to Bristol households struggling to feed themselves last year – with thousands going to children.
That’s according to figures from the Trussell Trust, which gave out more than two million food parcels via its food bank network across the UK in the year to March. The charity says parents are skipping meals so their kids can eat and switching off appliances so they can afford internet access to do homework, but warns things are set to get worse.
Its network of food banks across Bristol gave out 26,691 emergency food parcels in 2021-22, of which 10,896 were provided for children. That was down from a total of 34,668 the previous year during the height of the pandemic but was still well above the 16,735 recorded in 2019-20 and 11,387 five years earlier.
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The Trussell Trust said various factors could influence the number of parcels recorded within an area, including the prevalence of other food banks and the number of open distribution centres. Across the UK, the charity’s network provided around 2.2 million parcels to people facing financial hardship in the year to March, of which more than 832,000 went to children.
That was down from 2.6 million the previous year when Covid-19 sent demand soaring but still represented a 14% increase from 2019-20. Parcels can provide three days or (since early 2020) a week’s worth of supplies, and the Trussell Trust said its figures did not reflect the true scale of the problem as they didn’t account for the hundreds of other food banks outside its own network.
The group says it expects the need for emergency food to rise further as the cost of living crisis deepens, with one food bank manager saying people were “scared” about the coming months.
Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “People are telling us they’re skipping meals so they can feed their children. That they are turning off essential appliances so they can afford internet access for their kids to do their homework.
“How can this be right in a society like ours? And yet food banks in our network tell us this is only set to get worse as their communities are pushed deeper into financial hardship.
“No one’s income should fall so dangerously low that they cannot afford to stay fed, warm and dry. We are calling on the UK Government to bring benefits in line with the true cost of living.
"As an urgent first step, benefits should be increased by at least 7%, keeping pace with increases in the cost of living. In the longer term, we need the Government to introduce a commitment in the benefits system to ensure that everyone has enough money in their pockets to be prevented from falling into destitution.
"By failing to make benefits payments realistic for the times we face, the Government now risks turning the cost of living crisis into a national emergency.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said the Government recognised the cost of living pressures faced by families, and said it was spending £22 billion across the next financial year to support people with energy bills and cut fuel duty.
He added: “For the hardest hit, we’re putting an average of £1,000 more per year into the pockets of working families on Universal Credit, have also boosted the minimum wage by more than £1,000 a year for full-time workers and our Household Support Fund is there to help with the cost of everyday essentials.”
Gwen Edwards, chair of trustees at Keynsham Foodbank, said: "There’ll always be a role for strong community groups looking out for their neighbours, and we're so grateful for the generous support of our volunteers and to local people who have donated to the food bank. Together, you’ve made sure that local people who can’t afford the essentials don’t face hunger.
“The support we see across the community for people on the lowest incomes is incredible. But it shouldn’t be needed. We should all be free from hunger. No one should be pushed deeper into poverty without enough money for the things we all need. It’s not right that anyone needs a food bank in the first place - everyone should be able to afford the essentials.
“At the moment the situation is only set to get worse, as this is just the start of the cost of living crisis. But we know what’s pushing people to need food banks like ours, so we know what needs to be done. People cannot afford to wait any longer for support – UK, national and local governments at all levels must use their powers and take urgent action now to strengthen our social security system so it keeps up with the true cost of living.”
Keynsham Foodbank has provided 1,364 emergency food parcels over the last year including 637 to children.
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