New figures, released yesterday by Cambridge City Foodbank, have revealed that 6,798 emergency food parcels were provided to people across Cambridge in the last 6 months – with 2,642 of these going to children.
Between April and September 2022, Cambridge City Foodbank distributed more food parcels than in the same period last year – and anticipate that this rise in need will continue as they prepare for what they expect to be the toughest winter yet.
Margaret Saner, CEO at Cambridge City Foodbank said: “This has been our busiest year in the twelve years since the foodbank was founded. We’ve seen more people needing our help. In addition, we’ve seen a decline in the level of donations as the cost of living crisis impacts everybody across Cambridge.”
Cambridge City Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust’s network, which reports record levels of need in the last six months, with more than 1.3 million emergency food parcels given to people struggling to afford essentials between April 2022 and September 2022. Almost half a million of these parcels went to children.
The charity has warned that foodbanks are at ‘breaking point’, both physically and mentally, and are set to face the hardest winter yet as they expect to provide more than 7,000 emergency food parcels a day on average in the next six months.
Furthermore, research recently published by the Trussell Trust revealed that during August 2022, more than two million people had skipped meals across the previous three months to keep up with essential costs. In addition, 38% of people said they’d gone a whole day with no food at all or just one meal, in the last month, because they couldn’t afford to buy enough food.
Emma Revie, Chief Executive at the Trussell Trust, said: “These new statistics show that, even in summer months, people are struggling to afford the essentials and we are expecting that this winter will be the hardest yet for foodbanks and the people they support. This is not right.
“We know that with the right support and a stable and sufficient income, people don’t need to turn to foodbanks for support. Over the last few years, the government has acted to protect people who are struggling, and this action has had made a difference. They must now act again: with swift support now to help people through the winter, and with vision for the longer-term to ensure that social security is always enough to weather challenging times.
“We are calling for the Prime Minister to act decisively in next week’s budget. We urge the UK government to realise their commitment of supporting people on the lowest income with a broad package of support. As well as ensuring that benefits rise with inflation as soon as possible, this must go further to close the gap between price rises and incomes over the winter.”
If you are in a position to donate, you can support the Trussell Trust’s Emergency Appeal Found now by donating vital funds to help the charity supporting foodbanks this winter. Visit: trusselltrust.org/appeal
