Foodbank feeds its 150,000th person

COVENTRY Foodbank was set to reach a grim milestone as it feeds its 150,000th person since its launch in 2011.

Operating in partnership with the Trussell Trust, demand has continued to grow at 16 foodbank centres across Coventry.

Hugh McNeill, project manager in Coventry, said poverty levels he was seeing were higher than ever before and said Universal Credit was a key factor.

Shockingly, 40 per cent of those fed by the foobank are children under the age of 16.

Mr McNeill said: “I have been involved with Coventry Foodbank for the last six years and I have never seen the levels of poverty that we are now seeing at Foodbank.

“I have been shocked by the numbers coming through our doors across the city. When I talk to people more and more are saying the same things to me.

“Firstly the five week wait for Universal Credit is causing people undue hardship, people who have been switched over from the old legacy benefit are saying that they are not receiving the same amount of money under the new system.

“One lady told me she is £100 a month down under Universal Credit compared to the old system. This £100 used to buy her food.

“Other People are telling me they simply aren’t earning enough because they cant get enough hours at work.

“Most worryingly it took us seven years to reach 100,000 people fed in Coventry and less than two years after that to reach 150,000.”

Universal Credit and controversial zero hours contracts are key factors to blame for the rise in numbers relying on food parcels according to the Foodbank.

This year saw the single biggest increase in foodbank users since the foodbank started in January 2011 with over 27,000 people expected to have visited foodbank this year.

This figure is up 74 per cent from 15,500 people fed in 2017.

Currently the demand for emergency food support means the Foodbank has to find around four tons of food each week. This year Coventry foodbank has given out 192 tons of food.

Coventry foodbank operates a number on project from their warehouse in Binley with over 900 people clothed from its clothesbank including 167 school uniforms given out in August.

Coventry Foodbank operates “fuelbank”, enabling people to get a Gas/ Electric top up on their prepayment meters. The value of grants was worth over £66,000 this year.

Coventry Foodbanks new advice project “Resilience” in partnership with Coventry Citizens Advice has seen over 953 people with over £634,000 in financial gain.