New figures released by Plympton Foodbank have revealed 1244 emergency food parcels were provided to local people who couldn’t afford the essentials between April 2021 and March 2022 – and of these 499 of these went to children.
This number of parcels is an increase on the previous year when the Plympton Foodbank was founded.
The food bank believes the increase in people needing support is due to people’s finances being hit by the increasing cost of living; the impact of £20 a week being cut from Universal Credit payments during the last year; social security payments not covering the cost of essentials; people not being able to get the right social security support at the right time.
The food bank is part of the Trussell Trust network, which has experienced its busiest winter outside of the height of the pandemic in 2020.
Food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided more than 2.1 million parcels to people on the lowest incomes across the UK from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. This is a 14% increase on pre-pandemic figures in 2019-20 as more and more people across the country are unable to afford the essentials we all need to eat, stay warm, dry and clean.
The need for food banks in the Trussell Trust network has accelerated throughout the past six months, and food bank managers are warning of a growing crisis following the cut to Universal Credit in October 2021, as the cost of living continues to soar.
Between July and September there was a 10 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2019 and this rose to 17 per cent Between October and December.
The increase rose to 22 per cent in January and February this year, compared with the same period in 2020.
Brenda Lowe speaking on behalf of Plympton Foodbank said:
“Our team will always do all they can to help people in the community – but they cannot, and should not, be needing to distribute emergency food parcels on this scale.
“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 in Plympton and the wider Plymouth area needs to use food banks 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.”
