More people in work are using food banks in Canterbury
Canterbury Food Bank says that state benefits are not sufficient to meet basic needs.
In 2023, the Canterbury Food Bank delivered 14,659 food parcels estimated to have made 131,931 meals.
However, there has been a recent increase in the number of people who are in work while accessing this support.
The operations manager, Liam Waghorn, said: “food inflation last year was horrendous, much higher than general inflation, so people at the poorer end of the spectrum have seen a real impact to their income.”
The Government gave those on low-income benefits and tax credits a series of payments to help with the rising cost of living, the last of which hit bank accounts in February of this year.
When people received these payments, the Canterbury Food Bank saw a “dramatic fall” in demand.
Mr Waghorn said: “Direct financial support has an almost instant impact on food security…
“State benefits as they are, are just not sufficient to meet people’s basic needs.”
Food security is a prevalent issue on a national scale, local MP Rosie Duffield recently posted on X (formerly Twitter):
It’s 2024, and @labourlewis spoke today of visiting a local school where teachers say children are increasingly developing signs of malnutrition, showing their levels of hunger by eating sand. EATING SAND. My dad grew up in that area in ’50s/60s and had similar stories. Shameful.
— Rosie Duffield MP (@RosieDuffield1) March 13, 2024
Mr Waghorn added: “If you are reading this article and you are struggling and you feel you need support, please do get in touch with Canterbury Food Bank.
“We can get a food parcel to you really very quickly, we cater for all sorts of dietary requirements, we’ll cater for many halal families. So, we really want people to get into contact with us straight away and we will do our best to get to you as quickly as possible.”
You can access support from the Canterbury Food Bank through their website here or by calling 01227 936450.
Feature image:Aaron Doucett on Unsplash