Staff expecting demand at food bank to double after lockdown
STAFF at Yiewsley and West Drayton foodbank estimate demand for its help could rise 100 per cent on prelockdown levels in the next few months as the economic costs of the coronavirus pandemic continue.
The first two weeks of lockdown meant help skyrocketed by 81 per cent, and manager Anne Widgington said the demand has been steady since for the branch which is part of the Trussell Trust network.
Nationally, the Trussell Trust revealed on Wednesday, June 3, that April was the busiest month ever for its food banks, with an 89 per cent increase in emergency food parcels across the UK, compared to the same period in 2019.
Mrs Widgington said: “There are many reasons people come to food banks, it’s originally low-income but people have been furloughed, made redundant, people who are selfemployed. They have never come to a food bank before in their life.
“We have managed, we have had generous donations from the general public, and Tescos and Morrisons.
“We would expect demand to go up to 100 per cent [compared to prelockdown] in the next couple of months. People are going back to work and people are going to be made redundant. All the other groups out there helping people are going to stop and people are going to go back to work. I think there will definitely be a need for more food.”
The charity, which has kept two out of its three branches open during lockdown, was set up in 2016 by six churches in the area that recognised a need for centres south of the borough which could be in walking distance for clients.
In April alone the charity, which looks after people from the UB7 postcode area, fed 644 people, including 252 children.
“It is a local food bank for local people run by local people,” Mrs Widgington said.
The collection centres are usually run ‘cafe-style’ for clients to stay and chat with the staff, but due to social distancing measures they can only pick up bags to take away with them.
“We miss the opportunity of the personal connection with our clients. Normally we chat to them, help them with whatever their needs be, the distancing is quite sad,” Mrs Widgington said. “I can’t have a private conversation at two metres.”
Mrs Widgington also noted that the charity is spending a lot more money on food, with £1,000 spent in the first month, and an estimated £3,000 in the last few months.
The rise in demand also comes as Hillingdon Council report a hike of council tenants applying for Universal Credit in April by nearly six times due to the impact of coronavirus.
Ms Widgington added: “Normally we buy very little at all, normally we have enough donated to us.”
The food bank boss also heaped praise on the council for its support, and on the charity’s trustees for stepping up to help during the crisis.
“There’s been a lot of collaborative working across the borough. It’s brought out the best in people it really has,” she added.
Alongside the Trussell Trust, food banks from the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) also reported an 175 per cent increase across the country this week. A coalition of charities including the Children’s Society, The Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation are calling for the government to give further cash boosts to local authorities in England, to ensure there is enough funding to provide emergency cash grants to people in need.
Hillingdon has so far been awarded £17.3 million from the government to support its coronavirus response.
Costs estimated by council bosses are around £30 million.
The call for more funding from the charities would make up a proposed ‘Coronavirus Emergency Income Support Scheme’, to put money in people’s pockets for essentials during the crisis.
They say with no signs of demand for food banks slowing and existing government schemes expected to wind down in the coming months, this new lifeline is needed.
Chief executive of the Trussell Trust, Emma Revie, said: “We have been seeing rises in food bank need for the past five years but this 89 per cent increase - with the number of families coming to food banks doubling - is completely unprecedented and not right. People need to be able to put food on their table.
“The government must put urgent support in place to ensure people already struggling to keep their heads above water can stay afloat. We have outlined what we need our government to do – it’s in our power to protect one another, we’ve seen it during this health crisis, and we need it to continue during this economic one.”
A government spokesperson said: “We understand that this is a difficult time for people on low incomes and we’ve taken significant action to support those affected by coronavirus, including through income protection schemes, mortgage holidays and additional support for renters.
“For those most in need we’ve injected more than £6.5 billion into the welfare system, which includes an increase to Universal Credit of up to £1,040 a year.”