Food Banks are here to help

Amid the cost-of-living crisis in the UK, more and more households are turning to food banks for help putting food on the table. Rising food costs – along with an increase in household energy tariffs and road fuel costs – mean many British households are having to choose between heating their home and feeding their family. This is a decision no person should ever have to make, and the situation is only becoming more desperate. Despite being in this position through no fault of their own, vulnerable families still feel somewhat ashamed and humiliated by their use of food banks, and a notable stigma still surrounds the frequent use of the service. Why is this, and what can ordinary people do to break the stigma? Our country needs to take a united approach to help those less fortunate.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; global supply chain issues; years of going in and out of national Covid lockdowns: these are all factors that have contributed to the current cost-of-living crisis. While we’ve all felt the squeeze, the current situation is causing some to suffer much more than others.

Some suggest that the rising cost of living has widened the UK’s (already prevalent) wealth divide, with Britain’s lower-income households in a much more vulnerable position than its wealthiest families. A 2023 YouGov survey has found that nearly 20% of the British public have made significant changes to their spending habits yet still struggle to cover food costs and bills. Many of these people are young adults who are unemployed or in part-time work, living in rented or council accommodation. On the other end of the spectrum, the YouGov survey found that the majority of those least affected by the cost-of-living crisis are retirees who own their homes outright and are sustained by their pension. Rising interest rates mean mortgage payments are increasing, which directly affects those paying off a mortgage on their own home as well as those paying rent to a landlord.

Almost everyone is making spending cutbacks at the moment, and the most vulnerable have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Nonetheless, it’s clear to see that lower-income families are consistently disproportionately affected by national financial crises in the UK. Thankfully, they are not alone, and there is help out there.

The Trussel Trust, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works towards ending hunger and poverty in the UK, opened their UK first food bank in the year 2000. Since then, they have opened over 1200 branches nationwide and offer free three-day food packages to people in crisis. The service is extremely overwhelmed in the current cost-of-living crisis, and being a charity, it relies on volunteers and donations from members of the public to stay afloat.

There are some great initiatives out there for collecting food bank donations: food donation boxes near the entrance of supermarkets, opportunities to donate at local churches, and does anyone remember the Harvest Festival in Primary school?! It’s a core memory for me – bringing in my tins of baked beans and spaghetti hoops, and singing “Cauliflowers fluffy, cabbages green…”. Little did 10-year-old me know the good we were doing for those struggling to feed their families, as well as raising awareness for food banks. Some celebrities even use their wealth and fame to help, such as Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford, who successfully campaigned for children’s free school meals to be continued throughout school holidays. Speaking to the BBC in 2020, Rashford urged others to unite and use their privilege to help those in need, claiming “the fight to protect our most vulnerable children is far from over”.

Someone who should perhaps learn from Rashford is Tory MP Lee Anderson, who has recently made news for his derogatory comments about foodbank users.

Suggesting that people who use food banks “cannot cook properly” and just “cannot budget”, Anderson is fuelling the stigma, portraying negative stereotypes of lower-income families which are far from the truth. This threatens the stability of food banks, which are a lifeline for many. Thankfully, Anderson’s comments were rightfully met with a huge backlash by social media users, who branded him “30p Lee” and described him as a “walking embarrassment”.

The backlash to Anderson’s comments is promising –it shows that we can come together as a nation and break the stigma around food banks. We need to praise food bank users instead of pitying them, treat them with respect, encourage our friends and loved ones to make donations where they can, and buy an extra tin of beans to put in the supermarket donation boxes. Help your friend out if they can’t afford to eat. Perhaps go with them to a foodbank if they’re scared to go alone. But most importantly, remember to always treat each other with kindness no matter what – unity is what we need.