Trussell Trust predicts foodbank use set to remain high this winter after record-breaking demand

The word redundancy and its implications would send a shiver down the spine of most of us – yet at foodbanks up and down the country it’s their ambition.

Their aim is that the world reaches a point where foodbanks are no longer needed – yet as the cost of living crisis drags into a second winter these hopes look further away than ever.

Unwanted records continue to be set across the country as the need for emergency help to feed individuals and families keeps on climbing.

Virtually unheard of just a decade or so ago, foodbanks have become commonplace within most communities.

“It has become the norm,” said Sian Fytche, operations manager at Stamford and Oundle Foodbank.

“There are now twice as many foodbanks in this country as McDonald’s restaurants.”

It is estimated that there are more than 2,000 foodbanks across the country, compared to 1,300 branches of McDonald’s.

This autumn, the Trussell Trust announced 1.5 million emergency food parcels had been given out by its national network of foodbanks between April and September – 65 per cent of which were for families with children.

It was more than they had ever distributed by this point in the year, and 16 per cent more than the same period last year – the previous record – as the cost of living crisis began in earnest.

The charity also says 320,000 people had used its network for the first time in the past six months and warned foodbanks were at ‘breaking point’, with donations also down as donors are forced to tighten their belts.

Emma Revie, Trussell Trust chief executive, described the statistics as ‘extremely alarming’.

“An increasing number of children are growing up in families facing hunger, forced to turn to foodbanks to survive,” she said.

“A generation is growing up believing that it’s normal to see a foodbank in every community. This is not right.”

The forecast for the winter is no softer, with the trust estimating it will give out more than a million emergency food parcels between December and February – or one every eight seconds.

“I’m certainly expecting it to be as busy as last winter – I don’t see anything that tells me it’s going to be quieter,” said Sian.

“We have seen a big uptick in the last month or so. We’re coming towards Christmas, people want to treat their families, they want to buy presents for the kids and there are more expenses at this time of year so therefore they’re struggling.”

Here in the East Midlands, the increase in food parcels from last year stood at six per cent, while the figures in Lincolnshire over the last handful of years are typical of the rest of England.

The number of parcels given out by Trussell Trust foodbanks in the county has risen for all but one of the last six years, and spiked dramatically in the most recent 12-month period.

All areas reported record figures from April 2022 to March 2023 as sky-rocketing fuel prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to alarming knock-on effects on the price of things we can’t do without.

The amount of parcels given out in Lincoln’s five Trussell Trust distribution centres rose by 3,724 on the previous year to 8,079.

And this year the foodbank says their services have been used by more than 10,000 people since January – an 18 per cent year-on-year increase and an 84% surge since 2021.

In South Kesteven, the figure topped 12,000, up by almost a quarter on the previous 12 months, and comfortably more than double the amount given out in 2017-18, while in North Kesteven, where the trust began operating in 2021, the number of parcels almost trebled this year.

After years of steady rises, the number of parcels fell sharply in Boston from March 2020, when one of the town’s distribution centres closed, but spiked again in 2022.

Chris Ladner says demand at Boston Foodbank has surged by 56 per cent year-on-year in 2023, although donations are up by almost a quarter.

To cope with the heightened demand, the food bank, which typically operates for just three hours, had to open for an additional hour on Tuesday.

“Generally, it’s the cost of living crisis, there doesn’t seem to be any other reason behind it,” Chris said.

The surge in demand has become so pronounced that plans for a new church, community meeting place, and foodbank on Broad Street in Spalding have been formally submitted to South Holland District Council.

A further breakdown of these figures show that around a third of parcels given out in Lincolnshire over the last six years have been for children.

The numbers distributed for children last year rose by more than 1,150 on the previous 12 months in both South Kesteven and Lincoln. There was a 71 per cent increase in the latter.

Yet bald statistics can only tell us so much.

They certainly don’t paint a picture of the circumstances and desperation that drive so many people to this point, or show the impact it could have on long-term physical and mental health.

A telling factor in recent years is the number of people using foodbanks who have jobs, as the spiralling cost of essentials outstrip the earning power on lower and even middle incomes.

“We are seeing an increasing number of families coming to us where currently one parent or both parents are working,” said Sian.

“We are commonly hearing people say ‘we’ve tried to cope, but we are getting further and further behind’ and that's probably a little bit different from last year.

“Another change is the percentage of our clients who are returning or are regulars has also significantly dropped over the last two years.

“Of the 20 vouchers I have in front of me now, 40 per cent of those will be for first-time clients.

“You might tick along for a while and you can just about make things work, but then there is an unexpected expense, like the fridge breaks, and that’s enough to tip people into debt.

“There is no cushion at all.”

Rob Stevens, 49, who operates Ingoldmells Foodbank from his Sea Lane home, has also noticed a growing number of working families turning to the foodbank for support.

He currently supports between 10 and 12 families a week and is raising funds for a new mental health cafe.

“I would love to think that this wouldn’t be needed, but this is a small village, and we have three or four people living on the streets. I usually pop out and see them,” Rob said.

“£10 an hour doesn’t go a long way nowadays. Being a village with the likes of Fantasy Island, many people here work for about six or seven months a year until it shuts down for winter.

“It won’t reopen until March, so everyone employed there is now having to watch every penny.”

People are also increasingly turning to community larders – volunteer groups redistributing short-dated food from supermarkets for free or in exchange for donations.

“There has been a huge rise, and there is in Stamford,” Sian added.

“That is helping people, which is great, but it’s not addressing the issue, and the danger is that there becomes an over-reliance on those kind of things as well.

“It’s great that food is going somewhere rather than being wasted, but it isn’t actually addressing the issue that people can’t afford food.”

Foodbanks are staffed by volunteers driven by a wish to help and empathy with those in need.

But there remains cynicism in some quarters that foodbanks are just an easy way out for those wanting something for nothing.

“I hear that a lot,” said Sian.

“There will always be the odd person who does that. It is a very small number, they are very easy to spot and we do our utmost to stop it from happening. Our system of referrals helps with that.

“But this is not exciting food – it’s not what you would go and buy if you had a choice. It’s wholesome food and does the job, but it’s absolutely not exciting, particularly if you have children.”

With this in mind, Stamford and Oundle, among others, are putting together Christmas hampers to provide a few indulgences to enliven the basics.

Hot water bottles and blankets are being offered to combat the cold as many remain afraid to turn their heating dial.

Stamford and Oundle have also introduced Citizen’s Advice advisers in situ to offer additional support and perhaps a long-term plan to help people get back on their feet.

Another way of softening what is a difficult experience at a tough time, volunteers are encouraged to put themselves in the shoes of their clients.

“No-one who comes to the foodbank wants to come and therefore it’s about making the experience as good as we possibly can,” Sian explained.

“When we train our volunteers, we think about how people are going to feel when they walk through the door.

“The aim is that they leave feeling better than when they arrived. I get people on the phone who are very distressed so I just try to explain to them how it works to put people at their ease.”

So is there any hope that foodbanks will get their wish and become a thing of the past?

An inflation increase in Universal Credit is due next April, while families on the lowest incomes continue to get £300 Government payments to ease the hardship.

Inflation has finally slowed, yet remains comparatively high, with wages and benefits still lagging behind.

For foodbanks and charities across our communities, there seems much work yet to do if numbers are to fall next winter

“Advocacy with local and national government is something the Trussell Trust is very much involved with in trying to influence policy, and will keep doing,” said Sian.

“For those who are not able to work or have lost a job, there’s a gap and they just haven’t caught up.

“They have got so far behind with the cost of living, it’s not something you’re going to be able to rectify really quickly.”

Are you struggling, or have you had cause to use a foodbank? Share your story by emailing: news@lincsonline.co.uk