VOLUNTEERS are marking ten years as a lifeline to Southend families as new data revealed the number of emergency food parcels handed out surged by a staggering 60 per cent.
Southend Foodbank, which spends £10,000 a month on food, has seen an "alarming" 59 per cent increase in the number of emergency parcels distributed compared to the same April to September period last year.
This is the most parcels the foodbank has ever provided.
It has been revealed that 9,596 emergency food parcels were provided to people facing hardship across Southend and Rochford between April and September this year with 3,863 of these going to children.
Cass Francis, communications and campaigns co-ordinator at Southend Foodbank, said: “We have spent the past few months looking back at the ten years since we opened Southend Foodbank initially with one distribution centre at Belle Vue in Southchurch - to where we are now with eight distribution centres open each week.
“This new data showing an almost 60 per cent increase in parcels given out for the past six months is, unfortunately, no surprise.
“These figures are more than triple the amount we gave out during the same period in 2020, and we are currently spending over £10,000 a month on food to make sure our parcels contain enough food.”
It comes as the charity is celebrating ten years of helping those in need after low income, debt, health conditions and issues with social security payments, such as delays or sanctions, were the main reason people were left with no option but to turn to a foodbank for help.
Southend Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust’s network, which reports that 1.5 million emergency food parcels were provided to people between April and September by food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network the most parcels that the network has distributed.
Emma Revie, chief executive at the Trussell Trust, said: “These statistics are extremely alarming.
“An increasing number of children are growing up in families facing hunger, forced to turn to food banks to survive. A generation is growing up believing that it’s normal to see.”
She adds that the Government must build on its work to protect people from “increasingly severe hardship” by reducing debt deductions “which drive unacceptable levels of hardship”.
To find out more, visit: southend.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food.
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