Last Friday, the Trussell Trust reported a soaring 81% increase for emergency food parcels from foodbanks in its network during the last two weeks of March 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, as the first two weeks of the coronavirus lockdown saw an unprecedented rise in foodbank use. The data shows people struggling with the amount of income they were receiving from working or benefits as the main reason for the increase in need.
At North Cotswold Foodbank, we have seen an even greater rise in the number of people using the Foodbank, with the number of emergency food parcels handed out during the last two weeks of March increasing by a whopping 184%. There was also a significant increase in the number of children being fed (over 300%), as the lockdown started to have a major impact on the income of many families, plus the additional strain of children not going to school.
Kevin Carden, Project Manager for North Cotswold Foodbank, said: “The last few weeks have shown that many families are facing serious financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s simply not right that so many more people don’t have enough money for essentials and are having to turn to foodbanks. Our experience shows that families with children are being particularly hard hit and do not have the lifeline they need to stay afloat.”
Foodbanks are working to continue providing emergency food safely to people who cannot afford to buy the essentials. But we cannot continue to pick up the pieces. A coalition of charities, including the Trussell Trust, IFAN, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), Children’s Society, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), StepChange and Turn2us is now urging the government to strengthen the anchor it has already put in place to help protect many people from being swept into destitution as more than 1.8 million people have applied for Universal Credit in recent weeks.
Read the full press release from the Trussell Trust here