Posts in '2016'

Almost half of people referred to foodbanks at risk of going cold as well as hungry this winter

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  • Foodbanks face busiest winter as new data suggests half of all people needing support from foodbanks are on pre-pay meters
  • Schemes like Fuel Banks getting immediate help to people in crisis
  • However, survey of 410+ foodbanks suggests help for people in fuel poverty is a postcode lottery

In winter time as temperatures drop, people who are on pre-payment meters are particularly at risk of falling into crisis as they have to choose between heating and eating.

Almost half of the people helped by Trussell Trust foodbanks and Durham Christian Partnership not only face hunger but may be unable to afford to keep their heating, hot water, or lights on. New data estimates that 46% of people* visiting their foodbanks are pre-payment meter customers, meaning they are at imminent risk of going cold and hungry if they can’t afford to put money on the meter. (more…)

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Why is there a food collection outside parliament today?

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“If it wasn’t for the foodbank, I don’t know what I’d do. I had to choose between feeding my children and starving myself, or eating.”

That’s what one mum in Bradford said to a volunteer at one of the 420 foodbanks that make up The Trussell Trust’s network. Multiply that by many thousands and you have a picture of the incredibly difficult decisions families across the UK face as Christmas approaches. Last December we gave out 60,000 three-day emergency food parcels to children alone, and foodbanks are poised to help even more people this year.

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Foodbanks brace for their busiest month as Christmas approaches

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  • Anti-poverty charity The Trussell Trust calls on people to support their local foodbank to help families facing hunger this Christmas
  • Newly released figures reveal 45% increase in number of three day emergency food supplies provided by Trussell Trust foodbanks last December compared to the monthly average for 2015/16 financial year
  • Analysis of five years of foodbank data by the University of Hull confirms a striking seasonal spike at Christmas

The Trussell Trust is calling on the public to help families facing hunger this Christmas as foodbanks busiest month of the year begins. Newly released figures reveal that during December 2015, The Trussell Trust’s foodbank network provided 133,734 three day emergency food supplies to people in crisis; 56,779 of these went to children. This is a 45% increase on the monthly average of three day emergency supplies provided in the 2015/16 financial year, which was 92,442. (more…)

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Neighbourhood Food Collection Christmas 2016

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Running a food bank has opened my eyes to why people are without food.

Our focus has been on providing three days emergency food for people in a crisis. After a couple of years, I thought I knew about every scenario. But I often talk to people who are in a situation we’ve never come across before.

Week in, week out there are different people in Watford who do not have enough money for food. Some are affected by illness, by job losses or by homelessness. Others by simply not having any money because an emergency has left them short.

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Giving thanks this Giving Tuesday

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We think you, our supporters are incredible! The compassion, kindness and generosity you show is truly humbling. Every day, there are more people like you joining the fight against UK hunger; an ever growing community working to transform lives all over the UK.

Every donation you give, no matter the size, is gratefully received. We know that you understand the pain of people whose cupboards are bare and have no means of buying more food. Your compassion is heart-warming and hugely appreciated.

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Half a million emergency food parcels distributed by Trussell Trust foodbanks in six months

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  • More than 500,000 three day emergency food parcels distributed to people in crisis in first half of the year – over 188,500 to children
  • Issues with benefits account for 44 per cent of all referrals
  • Charity calls for foodbank telephone ‘hotline’ to local Job Centres to support people in crisis more quickly and efficiently, reducing negative impact on mental wellbeing

Anti-poverty charity, The Trussell Trust, has today proposed a direct telephone line between foodbanks and local job centres – as it reveals that more than half a million emergency food parcels have been issued in the first six months of the year. The staggering number means that the foodbank network is on course to distribute the highest number of food parcels in its 12-year history during 2016-17.

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How the compassion of strangers shaped my life

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I know it’s hard to get through life with dignity, courage and strength when your basic needs aren’t met.

My support for The Trussell Trust comes from a place of compassion – I hate the thought of people struggling to meet their basic needs in a country like Britain. It also comes from a place of understanding, just a tiny bit, what people who turn to foodbanks might be going through.

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Benefit Sanctions & Foodbank Use

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  • University of Oxford researchers analysed four years of Trussell Trust foodbank data and found an increase in 10 Jobseeker’s Allowance sanctions per 100,000 adults was associated with five more adults needing foodbanks
  • In response, The Trussell Trust, which runs a network of over 420 foodbanks, calls for a true ‘yellow card’ warning system to stop people falling into crisis

Research by the University of Oxford, released today, finds a “strong, dynamic relationship” between sanctioning and food bank usage: there is a link between people having their benefit payments stopped and an increase in referrals to foodbanks.

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We’ve joined the End Hunger UK big conversation – will you?

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As we approach the cold winter months and Christmas, it is time more than ever to remember the people who are going hungry on our doorstep. Trussell Trust foodbanks gave out 1.1 million emergency food supplies last year, and each of those foodbank visits tells a story of a person or family in crisis.

This is why we’re joining forces with 12 of the UK’s leading charities working with people affected by hunger to launch the End Hunger UK campaign. It starts with a Big Conversation, going on across the UK until March 2017. Individuals, foodbanks, food projects, local food networks and others are all invited to join in the Conversation and ask the question: What does our government need to do to End Hunger in the UK?

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Kerrang! Radio calls all Food Fighters

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Throughout the month, Kerrang! Radio will be working with us and food redistribution charity Fareshare to make as much noise as they can about food waste and food poverty, and we’re delighted to work with them to raise awareness of how foodbanks help when people are hit by a crisis and how we can all help to stop UK hunger.

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