Food banks running short as more families seek help

SUPPLIES in food banks in the poorest parts of the UK have dwindled over the summer due to a spike in demand brought about by school holidays, organisers have said.

Tricia Ryder, manager of the Leeds North and West food banks, said supplies are “critically low”.

“The summer months are always the time when we get the least donations, but each summer we’re getting more and more attendants,” she told The Guardian.

Families are not receiving their regular food parcels because banks do not have certain foods Ms Ryder added.

A fall in donations has also been blamed for low levels of supplies. Leeds North and West, which has seven centres across the area, said they need long-life milk and juice, pasta sauce and tinned meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.

Food banks across the country are beginning to report an increase in the number of food parcels distributed to people in need this summer.

The Trussell Trust, which supports more than 1,200 food banks, gave out 239,196 three-day emergency supply kits during the summer holidays in 2018, giving a record 87,496 parcels to children. This was a 20 per cent increase on the previous year.

Foods banks in Preston, Leeds, Watford, Salford, Bradford, Newcastle, Merseyside, Nottingham and northeast Somerset were all reporting food shortages during the school holidays this year.

Andrew Tranter, 75, who runs Watford food bank, said that supplies often run low during the summer, with more donations over the winter.

He said: “Our stock in the last month was six tonnes, and we gave out sevenand-a-half tonnes.

“So far this month, we’ve received three tons of donations but given out three-and-a-half tons.”