Newslink
Autumn/Winter 2017
“The Trussell Trust gave me so much more than just food; they gave me my confidence back.” Read Hugh’s story on page 18
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Welcome We’ve had a remarkable year at The Trussell Trust. As 2017 comes to an end we reflect on a period in which we have given out more emergency food supplies than ever before. Our recently released mid-year stats show a concerning increase in the numbers of people across the UK needing to access emergency food, which means that the pressure on the foodbanks in our network continues to grow. In the run up to the festive season we recognise the desperation some people in our communities are feeling. To be surrounded by Christmas indulgence, while struggling to put food on the table is both a physical and emotional battle for our clients. Sadly, this Christmas and winter, more people will face food poverty and foodbanks all across the UK will be working tirelessly to support them. We give thanks to each and every one of our supporters who work so very hard to help people in crisis over the Christmas period and throughout the year. The kindness, compassion and generosity of so many organisations, companies and individuals is truly inspiring. As we look forward to a new year we remain as committed as ever to stopping UK hunger. No child should go to school hungry, nobody should have to make the decision between heating and eating and no parent should have to go without food so their children have a meal.
Autumn/Winter 2017 We can only achieve our goal of stopping UK hunger with your support: • To develop our More Than Food programme, helping to provide life skills that build financial resilience and freedom from food insecurity. • To be a voice for vulnerable people and those in greatest need, influencing policy makers through comprehensive data and research findings. • To continue to raise awareness and understanding through working with the media and by telling the stories of those affected by food poverty, like the stories you will read in the next few pages. Thank you. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.
Mark Ward Interim Chief Executive Mark Ward
Autumn/Winter 2017
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Contents 4
News in brief
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We catch up with Judith Food poverty at Christmas
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Harvest - a time to give thanks and share
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Foodbank demand is soaring across the UK
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Vicky’s story New mum, Vicky, was facing a hard Christmas when she was referred to a Trussell Trust foodbank
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Tesco Food Collection
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Meet the team
Hugh’s story How Hugh went from foodbank client to foodbank manager
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News in brief
Festival food collection
Farewell to David McAuley
During the summer, the organisers of the Greenbelt Festival in Northamptonshire committed to raising awareness of food poverty and hunger, and held a food collection for all their festival goers. The festival, founded in 1974 with a focus around arts, faith and justice, is energised by a progressive Christian worldview, and prides itself on creating a festival that is inclusive, open-minded, participatory and generous in spirit.
In August we waved a fond farewell to our Chief Executive, David McAuley, who had been with The Trussell Trust for nine years, three as Chief Executive. During his time we saw foodbank usage increase rapidly, with three foodbanks opening in the network every week between 2011 and 2014.
The results of the food collection are in and show that the generosity is not just in spirit but in the actions of the festival goers! The organisers collected a whopping 700kg of food for the Kettering Foodbank, which will help people facing hunger in the Northamptonshire area and is an incredible achievement. This result is fantastic but the organisers have challenged themselves to collect even more next year! Thank you to them and to everyone who donated.
David has joined the charity OpenHouse as Chief Executive. The charity helps vulnerable young people aged 13 to 22. We’re grateful to David for all his hard work and leadership and wish him all the best in his new venture. We will update you about our hunt for a new Chief Executive soon. In the meantime, Mark Ward, who has been with the charity for nine years, has stepped in and is leading the organisation in an interim role.
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Global Energy Race 2017 We were delighted to have been supported again by the New York Bakery Company, who hosted the Global Energy Race 2017 on 24th September. Each of the 872 participants could choose to run either 10k, 5k or 3k. The Global Energy Race takes place across 38 cities in 21 countries every year with the British event being held in the beautiful Rother Valley Country Park in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, just a few miles from the New York Bakery Company. In support of The Trussell Trust, The New York Bakery Company donated a bagel for every kilometre run to foodbanks in the Sheffield area. If you’re wondering how many bagels that is, it’s 5,900! The New York Bakery Company also donated each runner’s registration fee which raised a fantastic £4,740. We’d like to thank everyone who took part and The New York Bakery Company for their support.
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Outstanding contribution recognised at national Awards We were thrilled and honoured that our work and that of the Network to help people facing crisis has, again, been nationally recognised. In October, we received the Observer Food Monthly Award for Outstanding Contribution. Observer columnist, Jay Rayner, and television personality and food writer Nigella Lawson co-hosted this year’s celebrations. Mark Ward, Interim Chief Executive of The Trussell Trust and Daphine Aikens, Chief Executive of Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank, received the award. Elizabeth Pollard, Chair of Trustees said: “We are so proud of how hard everyone works to stop people going hungry, and grateful to every donor and supporter who contributes to making that work possible. We also thank The Observer for recognising everyone’s contribution and highlighting the work that needs to be done.”
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All I want for Christmas... For many, it’s the most wonderful time of the year; carols, Christmas markets, mince pies, presents‌ Everyone is happy, everyone spends the festive period in a bubble of snow, sparkles and joy... Or maybe not.
Cold weather pushes up energy use and the cost of staying warm, meaning that all too often, a choice must be made between heating and eating.
Last December Trussell Trust foodbanks gave out over 146,000 three-day emergency food supplies to people across the country, who were struggling to put food on the table. A hard fact when we are surrounded 24/7 by a wealth of images and ideals of what Christmas should be: indulgence and luxury.
“When it was Christmas time we had a knock at the door, to be welcomed with big smiles and huge hampers, at a time when I couldn’t give my family anything. It was amazing.” - a foodbank client
“Christmas was a struggle as a lot of what I was getting I was putting by for toys for the kids.” - Donna
For people who are living with or who are on the brink of poverty, the pressure to buy presents and put extra food on the table is enough to push someone into a crisis. The Christmas school holidays can be a particularly tough time as parents have to provide extra meals during the day for up to three weeks when free school meals are not available. This can very often be the worst time of year as people feel an impending sense of dread in the build-up to the festive season.
But Christmas is a time when so many people show their generosity through food and financial donations. Foodbanks benefit from organised and individual food donations, usually including some seasonal treats. We are always overwhelmed by the generosity of the public who recognise how hard Christmas can be for an increasing number of people in their communities. Our foodbanks are relentless in their efforts to support people in crisis, working tirelessly to ensure that they support as many people as need their help.
Vicky’s story “When the food parcel arrived from The Trussell Trust it was just a massive weight off my mind...”
Over Christmas 2013, Vicky was on maternity leave when she fell on hard times. At a time when she should have been enjoying her baby’s first Christmas, she was staring into bare cupboards wondering how she could feed herself and her daughter. Sadly she was facing the same dilemma so many parents face, skipping meals in order to feed her child. She was referred to The Trussell Trust and received a three-day emergency food parcel the very same day, containing everything she needed to feed herself and her new baby, as well as some extra treats.
Vicky says: “When the food parcel arrived from The Trussell Trust it was just a massive weight off my mind. I’d been so worried about how I was going to manage if our benefit money didn’t turn up soon. I was scared that pretty soon I wouldn’t have anything to feed my daughter.” After receiving help from The Trussell Trust, Vicky started work and has continued to support the work of the charity by raising awareness and sharing her story. She hopes that this will encourage other people to see that there is help available and that nobody should face hunger.
Tesco Food Collection Our partnership with Tesco gives foodbanks across the UK the opportunity to help thousands of people who are struggling at Christmas. The Food Collection is a partnership between Tesco, The Trussell Trust and FareShare. For three days each year, in Metro, Superstore and Extra stores, Tesco organises and hosts a nationwide drive to encourage customers to buy an extra item or two of food when they shop and donate it on their way out of the store. The food donated is used by the charities to support people who are finding it hard to put food on the table. In addition, Tesco also generously tops up customer food donations, by making a financial contribution equivalent to 20% of the value of the food, meaning we can continue to offer further support to clients across the UK by distributing this income to the foodbanks in the network.
“Christmas can be such a tough time for people. Not only do many of our clients have to choose between heating their homes or putting food on the table, but there can be an added pressure of social isolation around this time of year. It’s therefore always heart-warming to see how the local community comes together to support each other by volunteering and donating.” Lucy Duffy, Foodbank Manager
What can you do to help? Support your local foodbank. Get in touch with them and see what they are in need of. Most foodbanks can supply you with a shopping list of their most required items, which may include items you had not considered, so it’s worth getting in touch. Find your local foodbank at www.trusselltrust.org/map
please help people in crisis this Christmas If you would like to donate to our Christmas Appeal please visit: www.trusselltrust.org/christmas-appeal or call us on 01722 580 178
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Meet the team In this new, regular feature, we’d like to introduce you to some of The Trussell Trust team, who work so hard both at our head office and across the UK to help people who are living in food poverty.
Laura Chalmers
Hannah-Mae trow
Job: Yorkshire and Humber Area Manager. I support and help develop the 19 foodbanks in this area.
Job: More Than Food Project Development Co-ordinator. I manage our Holiday Clubs project within the Foodbank Network. I also support our Money Life project, and work within our team to help develop new ways of supporting our clients in becoming selfresilient, and getting out of poverty.
How long have you worked for the charity? Four months. I previously managed York Foodbank. What is your favourite part of the job? The people! It is wonderful to be able to work alongside a variety of different projects that are all so unique, and run by such inspiring people who are so devoted to what they do. There is a lot being done to help vulnerable people in the area and it makes me very proud to be able to play a part in that.
How long have you worked for the charity? Over three years, in various roles. What is your favourite part of the job? When I get feedback from clients who have been helped by the projects, it makes us feel like we are going in the right direction, and that we are having a real impact on people’s lives.
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lynda battarbee Job: Area Manager for North-West England. I support, guide and train 39 foodbanks across the area. How long have you worked for the charity? Nearly six years. What is your favourite part of the job? I never cease to be inspired by the hard work of the foodbanks I work with. One of the biggest privileges of this job is being able to walk with a foodbank from the very beginning when they are just a small group of passionate people wanting to make a difference in their local community. I love watching them continue that journey as they grow into sustainable, professionally-run, effective charities, making a significant difference to people in crisis.
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Dave Hooper Name: Dave Hooper Job: Barmouth Foodbank Manager. Unfortunately, the area is quite deprived with a lot of seasonal work and limited opportunities for permanent employment. Since opening the foodbank we have been able to work in areas all around the region of Gwynedd. Our foodbank now covers 500+ square miles, which brings its own challenges. How long have you worked with the charity? Four years. What is your favourite part of the job? I love where I work as Barmouth is a beautiful region of West Wales. We have a great team of volunteers and I am privileged to be involved in serving the community in this way.
Meet another member of our team on page 18 as Hugh McNeill, Coventry Foodbank Project Manager, shares his story.
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We Catch up with Judith “The Eat Well Spend Less course has been a life saver.”
You may remember Judith from the Spring 2016 issue of Newslink. When we last spoke to her, the single mother of two growing lads was struggling to make ends meet and was in danger of being referred to a foodbank as she was getting deeper and deeper into debt. It was a teacher at her son’s school who suggested to Judith that she might like to take part in one of our Eat Well Spend Less courses. The six-week course had been designed to help clients and people in danger of needing emergency food to not only spend less on their weekly food, but to eat a greater variety of healthy, fresh food too. At the time, Judith felt that the course was helping to improve her finances and she was soon saving up to a third on her weekly food shop. She also enjoyed the community spirit.
“Learning to cook with other people was quite special. Supporting each other in the group to prepare the dish and then eating together afterwards was amazing!” We caught up with Judith recently who is still as enthusiastic about her experiences on the course as she was when she attended. She told us she’s still using all the skills she acquired on the Eat Well Spend Less course and her weekly food bill is now more manageable. Judith also told us that her sons still love to help her in the kitchen and their favourite recipe is the sweet potato and smoked paprika soup.
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“The course has taught me to live within my means a lot more plus it helped me to budget for the month ahead and I’ve learnt so much.” Judith enjoyed the Eat Well Spend Less Course so much that she became a volunteer to help support others learn about cooking and budgeting.
Recipe sweet potato and smoked paprika soup Serves 4
Ingredients 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 medium onion, roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 500g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 3 medium carrots, washed, trimmed and roughly chopped 600ml vegetable stock Pinch salt and pepper ½ tsp smoked paprika
prepare: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Method 1. Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes until softened. Add the garlic, sweet potatoes and carrots. Fry for just a minute, until you can smell the garlic cooking. 2. Add the stock, and cover the pan. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for around 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked right through - test them by pushing a sharp knife into them - they are ready when they are soft. This will make a very thick soup, which is great for freezing. Add about 400ml more water for a more normal consistency. 3. Add a little salt and pepper and the smoked paprika. Using a stick blender, blend the soup until it is an even consistency. The longer you blend the soup, the smoother it will become. If you don’t have a stick blender, then you can leave the soup unblended.
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Harvest- a time to give thanks and share Hampton in Arden Church in Solihull
At Harvest time, we give thanks for the bounty of the earth and provide for those less fortunate. Around the country, foodbanks have been giving thanks for the many kind donations they received. No matter when or where you went to school, the chances are you will remember celebrating harvest in some shape or form. It is the first big event on the calendar when the schools go back after the summer break.
St Peter’s Church in Aylesbury
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St Margaret’s Church in Burnage
Schools and churches come together to give thanks for the harvest and generously donate to people in their community. Children walk to the front of their assembly, hands stretched out proudly with their offering, before placing it with all the other goodies to help people who are struggling in their communities. This year, again, you didn’t disappoint! We were sent some lovely pictures from schools, churches and organisations across the UK, who had organised a food collection and thought we’d share some of them with you on this pages. Thank you so much to all who donated.
Cringle Brook Primary School
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Foodbank demand is soaring across the UK Between 1st April and 30th September 2017, The Trussell Trust’s foodbank network distributed 586,907 three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis compared to 519,342 during the same period last year. 208,956 of these went to children. The foodbank network is already on course to distribute a new record number of food parcels in 2017-18.
We are concerned that the situation will worsen in the run up to Christmas when demand for food traditionally spikes, and when the number of foodbanks in areas of full Universal Credit service will triple. New analysis of Trussell Trust foodbanks shows that those in areas of full Universal Credit rollout for six months or more have seen a 30% average increase compared to last year. Comparative analysis of foodbanks not in areas of full Universal Credit showed an average increase of 12%.
We have called for a cut to the six-week wait for Universal Credit as it is clearly driving increase demand for emergency food across the UK: • One in four referrals to a foodbank was due to benefit delay and in this six month period nearly half of those were because of Universal Credit. • One in five referrals to a foodbank was due to benefit change and in this six month period over one third of those were because of Universal Credit.
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Jack had to apply for benefit support last year after losing his job. He had no money coming in during the six week wait for his first payment under the Universal Credit scheme and, with nowhere else to turn, he was referred to his local foodbank. He’s far from the only one.
In areas of rollout foodbanks are seeing their resources stretched. Food stock donations have been put under pressure and at least one foodbank in our network has needed to request donations from other foodbanks to be able to help all the people in need in their community.
Foodbanks report that such delays can make mental health issues worse and push people into debt and rent arrears.
This is a deeply concerning situation. While we welcome Universal Credit as a much needed simplification to the benefits system, the reality on the ground is that delays and other issues are causing people to go hungry. Any large reform can have unforeseen consequences and whilst foodbanks will continue to help on a local level as much as they can, they should never be seen as a replacement for a robust safety net.
“I lost my job in October and have been relying on money from friends and family to survive, but that is no longer possible. I haven’t eaten for 5 days and will not get Universal Credit for 6 weeks, so went to the council in desperation - they gave me a foodbank voucher. Thank you to the foodbank.” - Jack
We’ll be working closely with foodbanks in our network to monitor the impact as Universal Credit rolls out further. We’ll continue to share our findings with decision-makers and politicians so the insights of our network can inform efforts to ensure Universal Credit is delivered in the least disruptive way across the UK.
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Hugh’s story Hugh McNeill and his wife had just started a new chapter of their lives in the New Forest, when their daughter’s ill health meant they had to return to Coventry to care for their young granddaughter. Hugh spotted what he thought would be a good investment opportunity; a restaurant in Warwick. He felt that this would provide a good income to support his family. Sadly, the restaurant wasn’t the solution they had hoped for and despite their very best efforts, they were forced to close. They were left with huge debts and no income. Hugh explained that being in that situation is “like an uncontrollable tap that can’t be turned off. It’s really scary.”
As the year went on and Christmas was approaching, Hugh said “I remember wondering what will the next year bring? I felt a real dark shadow over me.” It was a tough Christmas for the family, with little to celebrate as their financial worries seemed unbearable. At the beginning of the New Year, Hugh’s wife
Autumn/Winter 2017 found a job to bring in some money, but they soon realised this wasn’t enough for them to survive, let alone get back on their feet. Finding themselves in spiralling debt and feeling totally desperate, the couple were referred to their local Trussell Trust foodbank in Coventry. “I had lost nearly everything when I was at the foodbank. We did still have a roof over our heads, but nothing more.” The Trussell Trust offered Hugh and his family food and financial advice.
“It was part of the overall healing process I needed to go through. If it wasn’t for The Trussell Trust, I honestly don’t know where I would be today.” Having vowed to support the charity, in return for the support he and his family received, Hugh volunteered at the foodbank and, in 2014, became the Coventry Foodbank Project Manager, where he continues to provide support to clients and volunteers.
If hugh’s story has inspired you to support our work why not consider giving a regular gift
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“To this day I still remember being given a food box and a cuppa. The Trussell Trust gave me so much more than just food; they gave me my confidence back.”
Hugh is now leading the foodbank where he was helped when he was struggling and last year alone helped distribute 15,333 emergency food supplies. His experience means that he really knows what it feels like to not know where your next meal is coming from. He also knows how crucial his local Trussell Trust Foodbank was in helping him get back on his feet, both in the short and long term.
Making a real and lasting change takes time. A regular monthly gift can help support our network of foodbanks continue transforming lives. Go to www.trusselltrust.org/monthly to set up a direct debit or call us on 01722 580 178.
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www.trusselltrust.org The Trussell Trust is a charity founded on Christian principles that partners with local communities to combat poverty in the UK. Registered Charity in England & Wales (1110522) and Scotland (SC044246). Registered Limited Company in England & Wales (5434524). Photography credits: Alexandra Smart, Kayte Brimacombe, Alice Winney, and Gabriel Bahnareanu.