The run-up to the Christmas period can be an expensive time for many but this year in particular, with the cost of living crisis and rise in energy bills, a lot people are struggling more than ever. The Trussell Trust, the UK's largest network of foodbanks, has launched an emergency appeal in anticipation of the huge number of people set to be using foodbanks this winter.
The charity is expecting to distribute 1.3m emergency food parcels to its members over the next six months. In 2021 foodbanks were spending an average of £750 a month of their own funds to top up donations but this has almost doubled to £1,400 this year.
Earlier this month Emma Shepherd, project manager of the Trussell Trust's Cardiff Foodbank said that it had seen an almost 42% increase in demand since this time last year and that, across the city's eight centres, it has become "noticeably busier".
