The values of food banks in local communities have always been of great importance but with the different challenges of a Covid winter, the volume of people needing them - indeed surviving on them - has accelerated at a worrying rate. Across the UK, recent figures indicate that one in five of the UK population live below the poverty line. Three weeks into the first lockdown, the Food Foundation said that 1.5 million Britons reported not eating for a whole day because they had no money or access to food. This has meant a 60% rise in the use of food banks, where many are currently having to choose between ‘eat or heat.’
The Trussell Trust, a charity which aids a network of food banks across the UK, is helping to set up and support food banks in the borough of Richmond upon Thames. For example, Jenny, 36, who worked in a local shop in North Sheen that had to close during lockdown found herself jobless and unable to afford her rent. Jenny’s situation deteriorated further, when she quickly found herself in debt and as the single parent and the sole wage earner, she quickly found herself unable to feed her children. She admitted to skipping meals in order on a few occasions so they could eat instead. She explains: ‘I never thought that I would have to go to a food bank but it is quite literally a life-saver. The staff at the food bank in Sheen were really supportive, offering a chat and a shoulder to cry on.’
Emma Revie, chief executive of The Trussell Trust, commented: “None of us should need to rely on a charity to put food on the table. If we don’t take action now, there will be further catastrophic rises in poverty in the future.” Over 50% of people using food banks through The Trussell Trust during the pandemic have never needed to before.
Another initiative is Love Your Neighbour, a social response to the Covid-19 crisis, set up by a number of churches across Greater London. It has acted as an emergency food and supplies bank to get essential provisions to those most in need. This Christmas, their ambitious aim is to deliver one million care packages to those struggling. The initiative can only do this with the help of volunteers to pack and deliver the goods. Bart, in his gap year, spent an evening preparing food packages and said, ‘I found it an exhilarating and satisfying experience to know that just a few hours of my time will indirectly benefit some families this Christmas.’
Iconic figures such as Marcus Rashford have definitely raised the importance of hunger onto the national agenda and this has helped raise the profile of many programmes, like that of Love Your Neighbour. If you want to get involved with a food bank in your area - either to donate non perishable foods or help packaging - please get in touch with your local food bank or call 02089400274, who will direct you to where the nearest one is located.
