1,109,309.
That’s the amount of three-day emergency food supplies our network of 424 foodbanks gave out to people in crisis during 2015/16, with 415,866 of those having gone to children.
It’s a 2% increase on the figures released this time last year, when we first crossed the one million mark. And it’s happened again. One million three-day food supplies given out by our foodbanks every year is one million too many. This must not become the new normal. As a society, we need to listen to the experiences of people facing hunger and poverty, and work together to find solutions to this problem.
Kane and his wife Chelsea were both working professionals, but when his mental health deteriorated and there were complications with her pregnancy, they were both temporarily unable to work. Kane said:
“We never expected to need a foodbank, but our lives completely changed in two months. Just five minutes to breathe can really make all the difference, that’s why foodbanks are such a lifeline.”
Benefit delays and changes remain the biggest cause of foodbank use, which is reinforced by new research from the University of Hull that gives a fresh insight into UK hunger by mapping foodbank data against census data.
While The Trussell Trust foodbank figures prove that the numbers of people hitting a crisis where they cannot afford to buy food are still far too high, we want to thank you for your support in helping us respond to their crisis.
Best wishes
The Trussell Trust team
