Food bank usage increases 5% in 2016

As of the latest data available (September 2016), Trussell Trust has provided 5% more parcels of food to needy families than in previous years. It is expected that by the end of the year the not-for-profit organisation will have provided more parcels of groceries than in any other of its 12 years of operation.

What this tells us is that many people are still struggling. An increase of five per cent year over year, even when the unemployment rate is at an 11 year low, shows that many people are just not able to pay for the groceries they need. It also shows what government benefit cut backs and changes (such as the roll out of Universal Credit) are doing to families living in or near poverty.

There is some data on where the increased usage is coming from. The Trussell Trust estimates that about 40% of requests for help are due to benefit delays and/or reductions. About 25% of the applications are due to people just living on a low income and they are trying to manage their income, pay their bills, and cover the groceries too. It is a challenge for them.

Sadly almost 20,000 children per month also benefit from these food boxes from the Trussell Trust. This means that our younger generation is not getting the fruits, veggies, dairy, and nutrition they need. Without a child getting off on the right track, the lack of proper nutrition may stunt their physical growth. It could also potentially lead to learning difficulty, as it can be difficult for anyone to learn when their stomach is growling!

Number of parcels provided in 2016

The Trussell Trust is averaging about 90,000 emergency food parcels each month. This is up from about 85,000 parcels in 2015. While the number in itself may not seem excessively large, there are many other organizations that are also providing groceries, meals, and emergency food. So the 90,000 number is understating the true demand, and those groups are not included in that 90,000 number. Anyone seeking aid can find details on food bank vouchers, and who gives them out by region.

For example, council welfare schemes also provide vouchers for food, there are soup kitchens, hundreds of independent food banks like the Salvation Army, and many others. If you were to add all of these different organisations together, it is likely that hundreds of thousands of emergency food parcels are being provided to the needy each and every month.

There are two regions of the UK which have led the increased demand. The number of parcels passed out in Northern Ireland has increased by a stunning 43%. This can be due to more Trussell Trust locations opening in the region prior to September 2016 as well as the challenging economy in the area. The East Midlands also had a big jump in demand, but that increase was “only” 16.4% year over year.

One piece of good news as that throughout 2016 many of the food banks, including Trussell Trust, have increased the number of other social services they are providing clients. Some have debt advisers based on site, or they link the client to a local job center for employment. Other foodbanks offer form filling for welfare benefits, have lists of Job Centres, help people compete Work Capability Assessments, and in general work to help people to live to be independent.

With further reductions expected in safety net schemes as the government works to continue to balance the budget, it is expected that the demand for free, emergency food may increase again in 2017. The other big driver that may lead to higher usage next year may be redundancies from companies that are impacted by Brexit. While this has not happened yet, many economists think that the encomony across the UK will slow down as the country goes down the path of exiting from the EU. So unfortunately the number of people facing hunger across the UK continues to increase, with no end in sight.