Research by the Trussell Trust, Britain’s largest food bank network, found that one in five people who reported to the food bank’s 1,300 centers over the summer were from households where someone worked. It also said 145,000 families had used its food banks for the first time in recent months, a 40% increase. Examples of people in working poverty reported to Trussell Trust food banks in recent months include trainee nurses, teaching assistants, factory workers, retail assistants, delivery drivers and hospitality workers. The Trussell Trust announced on Thursday morning that it had given out record numbers of food parcels in the six months to April as shrinking incomes and rising bills led to a “tsunami” of need at its food banks. It gave away 1.3 million food parcels during the period, a third more than the same period in 2021. “These new statistics show that, even in the summer months, people are struggling to afford the essentials and we expect this winter to be the toughest yet for food banks and the people they support. This is not right,” said Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust. The growing number of people holding down jobs while relying on the trust’s food parcels has convinced some food banks in its network to open at 8am. “Although we have a large proportion of people referred to us on benefits, we are seeing more and more people working but their wages have not risen in line with the rise in the cost of food, fuel and other essentials for a basic standard of living said Gill Fourie, the operations manager at Blackburn food bank. He added: “We are talking about anyone in minimum wage work or people on zero hours contracts. These people often really struggle.” Greenwich foodbank chief Jamie Ginn told the Guardian “a lot of new faces were coming through the doors” of foodbanks, adding: “Basically, anyone on under £25,000 a year is at risk of using a foodbank.” Sharron, a London youth worker in her 30s, told the Guardian she had to use a Trussell Trust food bank while working part-time. “Your dignity and pride take a blow. You work, you have an apartment – how can you not afford to feed yourself? It takes away your self-esteem.” Ironically, the youth program she is working on now is to start offering emergency food packages for the parents of some of the young people who attend, many of whom are really struggling. He would prefer these families to be helped through higher wages, but “sometimes there’s no time for pride, it’s a matter of survival.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Five years ago, a Trussell-funded study identified lone parents and single men, often on out-of-work benefits who experience extreme poverty and often disability, as most likely to use food banks. While they still depend heavily on food banks, the new figures suggest they have been joined by an influx of low-wage working families. The Trust, which is spending millions of pounds this winter to buy food because food donations are not keeping up with rising demand for parcels, is calling on the Chancellor to deliver a broad package of support for low-income families in next week’s Budget, including an increase in benefits next April with inflation of 10.1%. Sabine Goodwin, co-ordinator of the Independent Food Aid Network, said its 600 organisations, including 550 food banks outside the Trussell Trust, faced similar relentless demand pressure from struggling families. “Relying on food charity is neither sustainable nor effective in reducing food insecurity,” he said. A government spokesman said: “We are immediately supporting households in need following the aftermath of the pandemic and Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, including sending another living costs payment this month worth £324 to over 8 million people, part of a £1,200 package for those on the lowest incomes’.
