Eastbourne Foodbank’s end-of-year statistics show demand for its service has never been higher.
Between April 2022 and March 2023, Eastbourne Foodbank provided 31,486 food parcels – 11,203 of those went to children.
These statistics, released by the Trussell Trust today, are just a small part of the national picture.
Nationally, the startling new figures show the network provided almost 3 million (2,986,203) emergency food parcels to people experiencing hardship over the past 12 months – with more than one million parcels going to children across the UK.
Jess Holliday, Eastbourne Foodbank campaigns manager, said: “These end of year statistics from the Trussell Trust show Eastbourne Foodbank’s busiest period to date, but we can see the national picture from across the network shows our town is not alone.
“What we are seeing here in our foodbank satellites day in, day out is a true reflection of what is happening across the country and this shows the importance of the Guarantee our Essentials campaign to make sure Universal Credit is least enough to afford the essentials we all need to live.
“Locally, we have identified that council tax is causing significant hardship for the people we work with. As a result, we are calling for the council to end bailiff enforcement for all those in receipt of council tax reduction. Lewes District Council and Wealden District Council have both recently introduced 100% council tax reduction to ease the burden for people on low incomes, and we are actively encouraging Eastbourne Borough Council to do the same.
“Eastbourne Foodbank’s financial inclusion team will continue to work with clients to find every last penny they are entitled to, while the campaign team calls for systemic change. Our aim is always to lift people up and out of poverty.
“These end-of-year statistics are unacceptable. We stand firm in our commitment to doing everything we can to ensure the current situation changes. We look forward to a time when fewer people need our service, and ultimately hope to close the door on large-scale foodbanks.”
The Trussell Trust is a network of foodbanks operating in almost every constituency across the UK. As part of this network, Eastbourne Foodbank is backing the national campaign and asking everyone in Eastbourne to write to Caroline Ansell, our MP, to raise their concerns about the rising numbers of people who need to turn to foodbanks.
If you would like to join us you can find out more at www.trusselltrust.org/essentials
