Charities say relying on handouts must end
workers from food banks, community food groups and supporting organisations from 14 local authority areas who have united as Food Workers for Food Justice.
Pete Ritchie, director of Nourish Scotland, a charity working for a fairer and more sustainable food system, said: “This letter from the people who are witnessing the human impact of this crisis is a call for food justice, and Nourish Scotland fully supports this call.”
Anti-poverty charity the Trussell Trust reported an 89 per cent increase in the need for emergency food parcels during April. Independent Food Aid Network said there had been a 246 per cent rise in the number of parcels distributed in Scotland in April, compared with last year.
Before the coronavirus crisis, 596,472 food parcels were handed out across the country between April 2018 and September 2019, a 22 per cent spike against the previous 18 months.
Joseph Lowit, community garden workshop leader at St Paul’s Youth Forum in Glasgow, said: “I’m enormously proud of the way my colleagues have stepped up to this unprecedented challenge but, simply put, people shouldn’t be reliant on the charity of others.”
The Scottish Government spokesman said: “We recognise and commend organisations who have responded quickly and compassionately to support people facing difficulties during the pandemic.
“As we move beyond the immediate crisis, we remain committed working with partners to ending the need for emergency food aid in Scotland.”