NG11 Foodbank based in Clifton is asking communities to help support people in crisis by donating items to the food bank.
More people are being referred because they don’t have enough money coming in to cover essential living costs and the food bank needs more stock to meet demand for emergency food.
NG11 Foodbank provides three days’ emergency food to people in crisis locally. Over 90% of the food given out by food banks is donated by the public. Supermarket collections are one of the main ways that the food bank is stocked and with the food bank busier than ever, the charity is asking people to give generously.
“More and more people are being referred to the food bank because they don’t have enough money coming in to cover essential living costs and we really need local people to give what they can.” says Wendy White the Foodbank Manager. “Rising prices, static incomes and high unemployment are having a real impact on people on the breadline and we’re seeing more people turning to the food bank for help. We want to make sure that no-one in the NG11 area and wider is forced to go hungry but to do this we’re urgently asking for help.”
NG11 Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust’s UK Foodbank Network. Between 1st April 2018 and 31st March 2019, food banks in The Trussell Trust’s network provided 1,583,668 emergency supplies to people in crisis. This is an 18.8% increase on the previous year, when 1,332,952 emergency supplies went to people in crisis.
- All those who receive emergency food are referred by frontline care professionals such as doctors, social workers and Citizens Advice advisers.
- Food boxes typically contain items such as tinned fruit and vegetables, tinned meat and fish, pasta, sauces, long-life juice, UHT milk, cereal, tea, rice pudding, biscuits and soup.
- Last year NG11 Foodbank provided emergency food to over 3,000 people of which 2,000 were children.
- 1 in 5 people live below the poverty line in the UK.
- Nationally, the single biggest reason that people were referred to Trussell Trust food are people on low income, followed by benefit delays. Other reasons for referrals include delayed wages, domestic violence, sickness, unemployment, debt, benefit changes, refused short-term benefit advance, homelessness and absence of free school meals during school holidays.
- The average weekly income of households at food banks is only £50 after paying rent.
For more on NG11 Foodbank email: [email protected]
For more on The Trussell Trust’s UK Foodbank Network visit: www.trusselltrust.org