Support Your Local Food bank

With soaring energy prices and sky-high inflation, The Trussell Trust are reporting that families are struggling to afford both their bills and meals.

Please help by making a gift – whatever you give will allow food banks to help families do more than just survive.

Emergency Food Crisis – The Trussell Trust

• The charity says it’s witnessing an accelerating crisis across the UK as the need for emergency food dramatically increased in the past six months. This follows the £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit and the soaring rise in living costs that people are facing
• More than 830,000 parcels were provided for children
• This is set to get worse as the cost of living crisis continues, the charity warns, as it calls for the UK government to act now and help prevent hundreds of thousands more families being forced to the doors of food banks

New figures released reveal food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network provided more than 2.1 million parcels to people facing financial hardship across the country, from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

This represents a 14% increase compared to the same period in 2019/20 – before the pandemic –  as more and more people are unable to afford the absolute essentials that we all need to eat, stay warm, dry and clean.

This is the first time food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network have provided more than 2 million parcels, outside of 2020/21, at the height of the pandemic.

Alarmingly, more than 830,000 parcels were provided for children, representing a 15% increase from 2019/20 when 720,000 were provided.

Your support has never been more vital to the food banks!

Between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2021, food banks in the Trussell Trust’s UK wide network distributed 5,100 emergency food parcels a day to people in crisis. This is an increase of 11% compared to the same period in 2019. Between 1 April to 30 September 2021, almost 2,000 parcels were provided for children every day, compared to almost 1,700 in 2019.

That’s why we’re incredibly thankful that you are standing alongside us, food banks, and people in financial crisis.

Alarmingly, families with children have been hit the hardest, with food parcels for children increasing at double the rate for adults, compared to pre-pandemic levels. Between April and September 2021, almost 2,000 parcels were provided for children every day on average, compared to almost 1,700 in 2019.    

As more and more people across the country face destitution – meaning they are unable to afford the absolute essentials to eat, stay warm, dry and clean – the Trussell Trust warns need for emergency food is expected to rise further still, this winter and beyond. Food banks in the Trussell Trust network face giving out more than 7,000 food parcels every day in December. 

The charity says many families already at breaking point face the fallout of the £20 per week cut from Universal Credit payments that hit this autumn. This is on top of rising fuel costs during the coldest season, as well as soaring inflation.  This is forcing many families deeper into poverty, the charity says, and is leaving people facing impossible decisions where their only option is to either skip meals to provide food for their children or heat their home. 

Overwhelming Support & Love

Our local food banks have been overwhelmed by the love, compassion and empathy of people.  By standing alongside them, you’re helping food banks to dynamically adapt to the challenging task ahead. The passion and resilience of these food banks is nothing short of outstanding.

They are determined to continue to provide the lifeline of emergency food for the people who need it most – even if this means completely overhauling their delivery model or processes to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

The Coronavirus is an unprecedented challenge for all local food banks, and they don’t yet know how things will unfold. The Trussell Trust and other food bank centres are working with their network on how best to support people, and wherever possible, food banks will continue to provide the lifeline of emergency food.

Food banks are running low on many items and this is where as an industry we can help, with anything we might have in our cupboard, ask your friends, family and neighbours if they can also donate a tin or two to collect up and donate, or buy a couple of items at the supermarket collection bin.  Food banks are still open, some on reduced hours and allocating one drop off area but remain in desperate need of food.

We encourage you where possible to continue donating after checking with your local food bank what items are most needed, these lists can be found on the food banks website.

The Trussell Trust have more than 1,200 food bank centres in their network, about two thirds of the food banks in the UK giving services like money advice, holiday clubs and cookery courses, helping support people in crisis across the UK, where more than 14 million people live below the poverty line.

Individuals are going hungry every day for a range of reasons, from benefit delays to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income.

The Trussell Trust recognise that stopping hunger is about More Than Food, which is why they work with food banks to provide a range of services like money advice and Fuel Banks, helping people to break the cycle of poverty.

• Find your local Food bank – find out what items they need, this can be found on their web page, email or call to check before donating
• Deliver to a collection point – direct to local food bank, supermarket, church, or organise you own local collection point in your office (if safe to do so)
• Volunteer – donate your time to help out, collecting food, sorting, packing or making tea, provide a friendly face to those who need it
• Fundraise – plan a fundraising event to raise funds for The Trussell Trust central support fund supporting all foodbanks, working on expanding the additional services available to help tackle the issues that cause poverty to help clients overcome this. Get a Tea for Trussell pack to host a tea party
• Regular Donation – payroll giving, direct debit or standing order
• Partner with your local Food bank – through fundraising, sponsoring or donating equipment or by sharing skills that the foodbank might benefit from
• Newsletter – Sign up to receive regular news and updates from The Trussell Trust click here
• Share – tell us what you are planning and we can help promote your good deed or event; info@agentsiving.org. Agents Giving: #agentsgiving, Facebook
  Trussell Trust: #trusselltrust Facebook

Please note that food banks are currently very busy and mostly run by volunteers, please contact them direct through their email, which can be found on their web page or call before donating. In some instances you might be able to organise a visit to the food bank to deliver your parcel donation. They may be able to come along to your offices to tell you a bit more about the great work they do, or give you a call back to discuss how best you can get involved.