Over 100 emergency food parcels handed out in Fife every week in lockdown
and live on Freeview channel 276
That’s according to a report by the Trussell Trust showing a record 2.5 million parcels were distributed by its network of food banks across the UK in 2020-21.
The charity is urgently calling on UK governments to end the need for food banks “once and for all” amid soaring demand for help from families in crisis.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIn Fife the charity handed out 16,056 emergency food parcels over the period.
Of those, 6,019 went to children – equivalent to 116 every week.
The overall figure, which includes parcels with three or seven days’ worth of supplies, was a 14% decrease on the total number recorded the previous year.
But the charity said that a reduction should not be interpreted as a decrease in need in a particular area.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIt said its data does not come close to revealing the full scale of demand across the country, with unprecedented numbers of people being helped by other organisations that sprang up during the pandemic.
“No one should face the indignity of needing emergency food,” said Emma Revie, chief executive.
“Yet our network of food banks has given out record numbers of food parcels as more and more people struggle without enough money for the essentials.
“This is not right but we know we can build a better future.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe charity is urging people to write to their local election candidates asking them to commit to working to end the need for food banks if elected.