Fewer Glaswegians receiving food parcels than when pandemic started, figures show

Fewer people in Glasgow are receiving food parcels from foodbanks in the Trussell Trust network now than before the Covid-19 pandemic started, according to new figures.
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New data from the charity shows that 39,281 food parcels were given out in 2019/20 from 19 distribution centres - 24,316 to adults and 14,965 to children.

That overall figure dropped to 32,868 during the pandemic (2020/21) and then to 29,809 in 2021/22, from 14 distribution centres - a 24 per cent drop in food parcels over the two years.

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According to our analysis, 4690 people per 100,000 in Glasgow received a food parcel in 2020/21, which was the ninth highest figure for Scotland.

8568 in every 100,000 people in Dundee received a food parcel from the Trussell Trust network.

Fewer Glaswegians are getting Trussell Trust food parcels.Fewer Glaswegians are getting Trussell Trust food parcels.
Fewer Glaswegians are getting Trussell Trust food parcels.

UK-wide figures reveal food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network provided more than 2.1 million parcels to people facing financial hardship across the country, from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

This represents a 14% increase compared to the same period in 2019/20 – before the pandemic –  as more and more people are unable to afford the absolute essentials that we all need to eat, stay warm, dry and clean.

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This is the first time food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network have provided more than 2 million parcels, outside of 2020/21, at the height of the pandemic.

Alarmingly, more than 830,000 parcels were provided for children, representing a 15% increase from 2019/20 when 720,000 were provided.

Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “People are telling us they’re skipping meals so they can feed their children. That they are turning off essential appliances so they can afford internet access for their kids to do their homework.

“How can this be right in a society like ours? And yet food banks in our network tell us this is only set to get worse as their communities are pushed deeper into financial hardship. No one’s income should fall so dangerously low that they cannot afford to stay fed, warm and dry.

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“There is still time for the UK government to do the right thing. We are calling on the UK government to bring benefits in line with the true cost of living. As an urgent first step benefits should be increased by at least 7%, keeping pace with increases in the cost of living. In the longer term, we need the government to introduce a commitment in the benefits system to ensure that everyone has enough money in their pockets to be prevented from falling into destitution.

“By failing to make benefits payments realistic for the times we face, the government now risks turning the cost of living crisis into a national emergency.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the pressures on the cost of living and we are doing what we can to help, including spending £22 billion across the next financial year to support people with energy bills and cut fuel duty.

“For the hardest hit, we’re putting an average of £1,000 more per year into the pockets of working families on Universal Credit, have also boosted the minimum wage by more than £1,000 a year for full-time workers and our Household Support Fund is there to help with the cost of everyday essentials.”

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