New figures released by Slough Foodbank today reveal 7,539 emergency food parcels were provided to local people who couldn’t afford the essentials between April 2021 and March 2022 – 2,778 of these went to children.
This number of parcels is over 11% increase on 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. The impact of £20 a week being cut from Universal Credit payments during the last year at a time when the cost of living has increased meaning social security payments are not covering the cost of essentials. Insecure or low-paid work is also a factor as people need a “top up” to get them through the month. Slough also has many refugees and asylum seekers who have no recourse to public funds who are driven to use our foodbank to survive. We also suspect that the numbers we see would be higher but is kept down by other groups in the area also offering food support
The food bank is 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, and 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
Slough 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, this is a welfare issue. Sue Sibany-King, Slough Foodbank 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 the Slough area 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 – UK national and local governments 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.”
Notes to Editor
Slough Foodbank has been providing emergency food and support to local people since 2010.
Number of emergency food parcels distributed by Slough Foodbank and by food banks across the Trussell Trust’s network:
| 1st April 2021 – 31st March 2022 | ||||
| Number of parcels distributed | For adults | For children | Total | Percentage change in total number of parcels distributed since 2019-20 |
| Across the Trussell Trust’s UK-wide network | 1,341,049 | 832,109 | 2,173,158 | 14% |
| Slough Foodbank | 4,761 | 2,399 | 7,539 | 11% |