UK food banks warn demand has reached crisis point

Food banks across the United Kingdom say demand has reached crisis point as rising poverty drives more people to seek help. The latest statistics from the Trussell Trust show more than 14.1 million people in the UK went hungry last year because of poverty, up from 11.6 million in 2022, underscoring a widening cost-of-living crisis that the government says it is working to address.

Nourish Community Foodbank, which serves Tunbridge Wells and south Tonbridge in Kent, said the situation had reached 'crisis point.' Dawn Stanford, the charity's operations director, described it as the worst crisis in 13 years. 'I think we have seen a 37% increase in referrals this year,' she said, adding that monetary donations were no longer sufficient: 'We are facing hard decisions in the coming months to ensure we will be here next year.' She noted donations were about 25% of what is needed, with the charity having to purchase about 75% of food to cover referrals.

At Faversham Food Bank, chairman of trustees Dominic Deeson said donations had also dropped. 'This is the cost of living crisis, food inflation and so forth,' he said. 'People are kind to us but they are struggling themselves in some cases.' Deeson said they were still getting enough, but the trend suggested they were edging toward having to buy food to keep up with demand. 'We are getting closer to having to buy food to keep up with demand. We have not quite got there but I can see it coming. For the first time we are asking people in Faversham to give us financial donations.'

Earlier this summer Kent County Council started a food voucher scheme for struggling families, though applications closed on 26 August. In May the Trussell Trust said a 56% increase in food parcels given to families with children in the South East in the last five years should be a wake-up call. The Department for Work and Pensions said: 'This government is determined to tackle the unacceptable rise in food bank dependence. In addition to extending free school meals and ensuring the poorest children don't go hungry in the holidays with £1bn to reform crisis support, our Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy later this year.' KCC has been approached for comment.

KCC and other officials say responses to rising demand will continue to hinge on welfare measures and local support, as charities warn that both the pace of need and the scale of donations are not in balance.