By Elliott West
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, just feed one”.
Mother Teresa
Introduction
Going to a food bank is not a chosen act, it is a necessity. It takes a brave person to pluck up the courage to visit one and it is deeply worrying that this is not only used by the very poorest in society but by teachers, soldiers and other people in professional roles. The Cost of Living Crisis has put an additional squeeze on many, struggling to pay their utility bills and having to make the agonising choice to heat or eat. There is a growing number of people who are locked in poverty and are living in food poverty. Amazing work is done behind the scenes by charities such as The Trussell Trust whose mantra is to Stop UK Hunger. The charity highlights that one in seven are facing hunger across the UK and they delivered a staggering 3 million emergency food parcels in the past 12 months. A sad fact that many are struggling to survive on this economic tightrope.
The Bleak Landscape
It is estimated that 1.2 million people in the UK are currently using food banks but that figure could be considerably more. This is a rise of 41,000 and a massive jump from 2010 when it was in the tens of thousands. Yet the current Conservative government has failed to tackle the problem, turning a blind eye to it and preferring to brush this political hot potato under the carpet. One Conservative minister, Johnny Mercer, in media interviews even had the audacity to say that these individuals choose to use food banks. A man who was given his wife a pay rise of £45,000. This is a clear example of how some politicians are detached from reality and just don’t get it! It is not as if going to a food bank fills your fridge, freezer and cupboards, it merely provides you with essentials. This is not a place someone wants to visit but sometimes there is no other option. This is desperation street in full technicolour.
Anyone who has to use a food bank will first go to a Citizen’s Advice Bureau, GP, school or church where your situation is discussed with an adviser. You will be asked a number of questions to determine whether you are eligible and if you are, you are given a voucher for the nearest food bank. This will grant you a minimum of three days worth of emergency food that is non-perishable and nutritionally balanced. This is short-term food support for the homeless, unemployed or employed where their pay is insufficient to meet their needs. A crisis that has been heightened in recent times by the 54% energy cap rise in April 2023. Thankfully there are a lot of generous people out there donating food and household goods individually and through various companies. There are 900 food banks currently in the UK with donation points at all the high street supermarkets such as Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s.
The Spiralling Circle
“You wake up wondering where your next meal is coming from”.
Lofe Chabal
Lofe Chabal has multiple sclerosis and uses a mobility scooter. The 29-year-old whose boiler had broken down, joined a food bank queue at St Andrew’s Church in South-West London. He is just one of a number of people who use the food bank in Earlsfield, choosing to sleep most of the Winter rather than face the freezing cold conditions in his house. This food bank is also visited by a number of staff from nearby St George’s Hospital in Tooting but the organisation is already struggling with funding, having to ditch their cooked breakfasts and replace them with hot drinks and pastries. These people are just surviving, not even living and are part of an expanding chasm between the rich and poor. Where they could once go to the Pound Shop, even this retailer has cut back on costs, selling two toilet rolls instead of four. A shop that now literally short-changes you.
However, despite this woe and desperation, these brave souls remain determined and defiant. Some even want to return to volunteer when they get back on their feet and to help others to make sure this situation doesn’t happen again. Many have young children so it is imperative that their parents get out of this economic trap sooner rather than later. Bringing up a child is an expensive business. The added costs of nappies, milk, clothes and food stack up and school uniform is certainly not cheap. The option of paying for items on a credit card or higher purchase can only be sustainable for so long and when the red letters start landing on the doormat or the bailiffs knocking on your door, the stranglehold of debt becomes too much to bear.
