Demand for food banks at record levels

A record-breaking 100,000 people have received emergency food from foodbanks in the space of just six months, according to the Trussell Trust charity. Three new foodbanks are opening every week to help meet the growing demand for emergency food.

The charity warns that Christmas 2012 is looking even bleaker for families on the breadline, as rises in food and fuel bills over the winter could force more people into a crisis where they cannot afford to eat. It also points out that fewer than 5 per cent of foodbank clients are homeless, and that many are working families struggling to make ends meet.

The Trussell Trust operates the UK's only national network of foodbanks, in partnership with churches and community organisations. The foodbanks provide a minimum of three days emergency food to people in crisis. Foodbank recipients are referred by a frontline care professional such as a doctor, social worker or schools liaison officer.

Source: Press release 16 October 2012, Trussell Trust
Links: Trussell Trust press release | Guardian report

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