Eastbourne Foodbank has revealed 13,459 emergency food parcels were provided to people across the town in the last six months – with 4,728 of those going to children.
The figures are published as part of the Trussell Trust’s mid-year statistics for April to September 2022. The Trust reports its busiest period ever, with more than 1.3 million emergency food parcels given to people living in poverty across the UK in that six month period.
Foodbanks across the Trussell Trust network are busier than ever and Eastbourne is no exception. The statistics show Eastbourne Foodbank has seen a 125 percent increase on the same period in the previous year (April to September 2021).
Eastbourne Foodbank stands with the Trussell Trust and is campaigning for the government to take immediate action to ensure this growing need doesn’t become the new normal because each statistic is a life. It is a child waking up to no breakfast in the morning, someone trying to make two tins of beans and half a loaf of bread last them the weekend before they can get to the foodbank on Monday morning or families worrying about how they will afford the energy to warm up the food we provide..
Howard Wardle MBE, CEO at Eastbourne Foodbank, said: “We are not surprised by these statistics released by the Trussell Trust and we can certainly confirm the increased need for foodbanks across the UK is reflected in our statistics locally.
“We are now regularly providing emergency food for more than 2,000 people each month and in October 2022 that figure reached nearly 2,500, more than 850 of which were children. Each statistic is a life and it is not acceptable that so many people in our community are living in poverty. This isn’t right and we can’t allow this to go on.
“Eastbourne Foodbank has so far been able to keep up with the rising demand. This is thanks to our amazing community here in Eastbourne and the generosity of our donors who make our work possible.
“We are one of the busiest foodbanks in the UK, but the Trussell Trust’s latest figures show we are not unique. Foodbanks up and down the country are experiencing increased demand and Eastbourne’s statistics are a true reflection of what is going on in the country right now and a true reflection of the amount of people living in poverty across the UK. This is an unacceptable situation which requires urgent changes to government policy.
“If you live in Eastbourne and are unable to afford food, we are here to help with compassion and dignity – please come and see us. If you have other options and can access help elsewhere, you will be helping us and the wider community.
“Visiting a foodbank is a last resort and we understand how hard it is to walk through the doors, but we live in very challenging times and know our numbers will continue to rise unless action is taken to reduce the hardship faced by so many in our communities.”
The Trussell Trust and Eastbourne Foodbank know putting more money in people’s pockets reduces the need for foodbanks.
The implementation of the temporary £20 uplift to Universal Credit in response to the COVID-19 pandemic provided a lifeline to families, with evidence showing this reduced food insecurity and child poverty levels.
The detrimental impact of the removal of the £20 uplift in October 2021 was clearly seen within Trussell Trust statistics; from November 2021 it saw persistently high rates of increased need for emergency food parcels compared with the same months in 2019-20, well beyond the usual busy Christmas period. In this year’s statistics we see how July’s Cost of Living Payment reduced, if only for a very short period, the need that we were seeing at food banks.
Eastbourne Foodbank stands with the Trussell Trust when it says: “The government can right this wrong.
“We need action now to protect people through the immediate crisis, and beyond so that the system is strong enough to support any of us in our hour of need.”
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 had made a difference. They must now act again: with swift support now 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.
“We are calling for the Prime Minister to act decisively in next week’s budget. We urge the UK government to realise their commitment of supporting people on the lowest income with a broad package of support. As well as ensuring that benefits rise with inflation as soon as possible, this must go further to close the gap between price rises and incomes over the winter.”
