New figures released by Antrim Foodbank today reveal 1,439 emergency food parcels were provided to local people who couldn’t afford the essentials between April 2021 and March 2022. 629 of these went to children.
This number of parcels is a 102% increase over 2019-20.
The food bank believes the increase in people needing support is due to people’s finances being hit by the increasing cost of living. This has prompted the trialling of an additional food bank centre, hosted by the Family Caring Centre on Monday evenings, to accommodate the working patterns of those in need.
Antrim Foodbank is a project of Oasis Antrim Community Support Hub and part of the Trussell Trust network, which has experienced its busiest winter outside of the height of the pandemic in 2020.
Food banks in The Trussell Trust network provided more than 2.1 million parcels to people on the lowest incomes across the UK from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. This is a 14% increase on pre-pandemic figures in 2019-20 as more and more people across the country are unable to afford the essentials, we all need to eat, stay warm, dry and clean.
The need for food banks in the Trussell Trust network has accelerated throughout the past six months. Food bank managers are warning of a growing crisis following the cut to Universal Credit in October 2021, as the cost of living continues to soar:
- July – September 2021 saw a 10% increase in comparison to the same period in 2019
- October – December 2021 saw a 17% increase in comparison to the same period in 2019
- January – February 2022 saw a 22% increase in comparison to the same period in 2020
Antrim Foodbank is clear that its team will always do all they can to help people in the community – but they cannot, and should not, be needing to distribute emergency food parcels on this scale.
Fionnuala O’Donnell, Antrim Foodbank project manager, explains:
There’ll always be a role for strong community groups looking out for their neighbours, and we’re so grateful for the generous support of our volunteers and to local people who have donated to the food bank. Together, you’ve made sure that local people who can’t afford the essentials don’t face hunger.
The support we see across the community for people on the lowest incomes is incredible. But it shouldn’t be needed. We should all be free from hunger. No one should be pushed deeper into poverty without enough money for the things we all need. It’s not right that anyone in Antrim needs our food bank in the first place – everyone should be able to afford the essentials.
At the moment the situation is only set to get worse, as this is just the start of the cost-of-living crisis. But we know what’s pushing people to need food banks like ours, so we know what needs to be done. People cannot afford to wait any longer for support – national, regional and local government at all levels must use their powers and take urgent action now to strengthen our social security system so it keeps up with the true cost of living.
ENDS
Contact
Fionnuala O’Donnell, Project Manager at Antrim Foodbank, can be reached on [email protected] or 028 9454 8555
Notes to Editor
- Antrim Foodbank has been providing three days emergency food and support to local people since 2016.
- 1,429 emergency food parcels were provided by Antrim Foodbank between April 2021 and March 2022
- Antrim Foodbank is a community programme run by Oasis Antrim Community Support Hub: https://www.oasisantrim.org/foodbank
- For more info, visit https://antrim.foodbank.org.uk
- Antrim Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust network. For UK-wide Trussell Trust food bank statistics visit https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/
