Salisbury Foodbank has revealed that 3,594 emergency food parcels were provided to people across the Salisbury and District Area in the last six months with 36% of these going to children.
Between April and September 2022, Salisbury 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 is expected to be the toughest winter yet.
Maria Stevenson, food bank manager at Salisbury foodbank said: “Low income remains the top issue people are facing in Salisbury and surrounding areas. Average base salary in Salisbury is far below that of Wiltshire and the surrounding counties. Salisbury is a desirable and therefore expensive area to live. We have seen and anticipate more working people and working families reaching out for help as they struggle to afford the essentials: heating; rent; food; toiletries.
“As a foodbank, our biggest challenge is to ensure food continues to come in at the rate we issue it out. We, like many other foodbanks have been buying in food to keep our shelves winter ready.
“To help address the increasing number of visitors, we are working alongside key partners to ensure that we offer the best service to the people we support, with income maximisation and advocacy being top priorities in addressing the root cause of the crisis.
“In addition to our standard emergency food parcel, and on top of the figures calculated above, we are working with a local green grocer to deliver fresh fruit and veg direct to people’s doors. This pilot project has been running since mid-September and already up to 700 households have already benefited from the additional complimentary support.”
Salisbury Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust’s network, which has reported 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 food banks 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 food banks 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 food banks for support. Over the last few years, the government has acted to protect people who are struggling, and this action has made a difference. They must act again: with swift support 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.”
If you are in a position to donate, you can support the Salisbury foodbank Appeal Found now by donating vital funds to help the charity support local people this winter.
Visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/SalisburyFoodbankFoodFund.
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