Newslink
Summer 2017
Tackling holiday hunger and social isolation head on at our holiday clubs Read more on page 18
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Summer 2017
Welcome Welcome to the 20th Anniversary edition of Newslink. It’s quite remarkable to think that the seed of The Trussell Trust that was planted two decades ago (which inspired our logo!) has grown into the organisation it has. During my years at The Trussell Trust I have been incredibly inspired by the people I have come into contact with. The volunteers who work above and beyond to support the more vulnerable in their community, the supporters who never fail to show up with boxes of products for the foodbanks and the staff who work tirelessly to ensure help gets to those who need it the most. One of the most frequent conversations I have with people is about the sad fact that we need foodbanks in the UK in 2017. This is, as it was when we started twenty years ago, an issue we will respond to and campaign on for as long as it is necessary; while there are people living in the UK who struggle to afford food, we will be there supporting them, as I know you will too. Over the past few months we have witnessed some of the most horrendous tragedies in this country that most people will see in a lifetime. The recent terror attacks and the fire at Grenfell Tower left us feeling grief and sadness on a national scale, but what stood out for me, was that, during the heartache and sadness, people rallied round. Taxi drivers took people home for free, money was raised for
the victims and their loved ones, clothes and food were donated. The generosity of people from all backgrounds shone through and it is this same generosity and love, over the years, that has enabled The Trussell Trust to grow and be in a position to help more people than ever before. Sadly the need for foodbanks is as great today as it has ever been, and we will continue to work hard with government to give people struggling with poverty a voice. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your continued kindness and support of The Trussell Trust, and for everything you have done over the past twenty years to help grow from a small local charity to a national organisation helping thousands of people every week, and to make sure the voices of those affected by hunger and poverty are heard by those in power.
David McAuley Chief Executive
Summer 2017
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Contents 4
News in brief
6
12
Looking to the future
13
Our work overseas
14
Early Warnings Report
15
Bringing the Foodbank Network together
Cutting edge foodbank research by The University of Oxford
16
8
Breathing new life Louai’s story 18
Phil’s Story Phil thought foodbanks were for homeless people - read his story on page 8
10
Twenty years transforming lives
Holiday Clubs Tackling holiday hunger and social isolation head on
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Summer 2017
News in brief
100 year old volunteer Meet Frank, who is an outstanding example of the fact that volunteering knows no boundaries. He recently turned one hundred and as well as enjoying cake and message from the Queen, on his birthday he spent three hours volunteering in his local foodbank in Malvern, something he does every week. Frank’s secret? He takes every day as it comes! Like so many of volunteers across the UK, Frank proves that people of any age have a role to play in their community and that being a century old is no barrier to making a real difference to people’s lives. Volunteer at your local foodbank Can you spare a few hours? Then get in touch with your local foodbank. www.trusselltrust.org/map
Congratulations! Barrow Foodbank has been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, in recognition of the hard work done by the volunteers in Barrow, Millom and Ulverston since the foodbank opened in July 2012. The volunteers fill a number of roles to ensure the foodbank is efficient and that those who attend are made to feel welcome and given nutritiously balanced food to last three days. The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK, recognising the outstanding work done in their communities. It’s a very prestigious award and is the equivalent of an MBE for individuals. The Barrow Foodbank team has recognised the incredible support of local communities who have donated a staggering 275.4 tonnes of food!
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BBC EastEnders
Did you see Denise Fox’s story in EastEnders? Throughout May we saw Denise’s personal circumstances deteriorate after she lost her job and experienced money troubles. Her friends and family were unaware of how bad things had become, and the only place left for Denise to turn was her local foodbank. Whilst there she bumped into old acquaintance Cora Cross, who had previously needed to use the foodbank and had started to volunteer there. Diane Parish, who plays Denise, described the episodes as part of “a very important story about social injustice”. She told The Huffington Post: “What we’re trying to say is – what I do know to be true – is that anybody, at any time, in our current situation in the world and our country, can find themselves in Denise’s position. It’s the slipperiest of slopes… It’s a question of just surviving and thinking, people are just living week to week.” It was great to see hunger raised sensitively as an issue on EastEnders, and we were pleased to be able to work closely with the team to show them how Trussell Trust foodbanks work.
Tea for Trussell Tea. It’s a part of our makeup, isn’t it? We have it when we wake up, when we’re tired, when we’re stressed, when our friends drop in for a natter… “I’ll pop the kettle on” is another way of saying “let’s take a break and chat”. Tea is also one of the most commonly donated food items at our foodbanks. So, it makes sense that Tea for Trussell has become such a simple way to fundraise. You can do something you do every day while raising money for The Trussell Trust! The Head Office team is especially partial to a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake, so we have been thrilled by the support that Tea for Trussell has had from around the country. Thank you for all your baking and fundraising and of course, pouring all that tea to help raise funds to help people struggling in your communities. If you would like to host your own Tea for Trussell, you can register at www.trusselltrust.org/tea
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Summer 2017
Financial in insecurity, security, food and disa
bility: The profile of people receiving emergency food assis tan ce from The Trusse ll Trust Fo odbank Network in Britain
June 2017
Cutting edge Foodbank research Rachel Loo
On Thursday 29th June, The Trussell Trust headed to Westminster for the launch of a major new research project we had commissioned from The University of Oxford which sought to gain greater insight into who uses foodbanks in the UK and why. We hope this could explain the rapid growth in the numbers of people turning to foodbanks for support in a crisis. Dr Rachel Loopstra, the lead author of the report, said “Our study puts the numbers behind the many stories we’ve heard from foodbanks. People using foodbanks, most of whom are receiving benefits because they are unable to work, have incomes that
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are too low and too insecure to ensure they always have enough food to eat. Income or expenditure shocks, whether arising from a delay in receiving a benefit payment, from a benefit sanction, or from rising energy costs is enough to tip low income households into foodbank use.” Every day our network of foodbanks is helping people trying to cope with low, insecure incomes and rising prices, that mean even the smallest unexpected expense can leave them destitute and hungry – be that an unexpected bill, bereavement or the loss of income caused by benefit delay. We worked with the academics, who surveyed more than 400 households referred to our foodbanks, to publish the single biggest representative study on foodbank use to date.
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The findings show that people using foodbanks face severe financial insecurity and are struggling with rising food and housing costs and high levels of debt.
ÂŁ319.43 The average household income the month before they were referred to a Trussell Trust Foodbank Half the households in the study include someone who has a disability, while mental health problems affect people in 1 in 3 households.
Mental health problems affect people in 1 in 3 households
Maria
Maria, a foodbank client, spoke at the launch about her own foodbank experience. The 55-yearold grandmother had been referred to a foodbank when she moved into work but was not paid until six weeks after starting the job. She lost her seasonal job a few months later and had to wait another eight weeks until her Universal Credit kicked in. By the time she reached the foodbank she was suffering with severe anxiety and depression and her weight had plummeted to just 5 ½ stone.
Benefit delays need to be tackled; people with disabilities or mental health conditions need more support. Making work more secure and tackling the high cost of living would have a significant impact on the lives of people in extreme poverty. We are looking forward to working with the new Government to start tackling these issues together. Being able to commission groundbreaking research like this is a big part of our work to challenge injustice and tackle the structural causes of hunger upstream – these figures are a clear challenge to our Government to do more to stop people ending up in crisis in the first place.
Dr Rachel Loopstra talks about the research findings at the Westminster Reception
For the full report please visit: www.trusselltrust.org/oxford-research
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Summer 2017
Phil’s story “When the food was brought to my home I was in tears, because I didn’t realise that kind of help was for everyday people like me who have a roof over their head.”
When Phil from Northern Ireland, was diagnosed with work related stress, it was the start of a very difficult period in his life.
“But after a period of time they decided it wouldn’t be viable for me to return to work, as I couldn’t handle the pressure of it.”
“I was told the solution was time off work and I did cognitive behaviour therapy courses,” he explains.
Unfortunately, an error with Phil’s sick pay resulted in him having to go 28 weeks without any income.
Summer 2017
“Whether to heat your home or have a warm meal is a tough choice to make. It’s a really hard way to live.” Having always worked full time, Phil found it hard adjusting to this new way of life: “You have to go without everyday items like food, hot water, heating, and that’s devastating for most people.” He found it particularly difficult during the winter months without being able to afford heating: “The way I came to live through the winter was by burning wood on the open fire, so it meant living in one room, which wasn’t the ideal situation to live in.” Thankfully, his local Citizens Advice referred him to his foodbank for some help, which was a big relief to him.
Newslink 9 But he was glad the support was available: “You don’t have to worry where your next meal is going to come from and that’s a massive weight off your mind; you know you’re going to have warm food, so you can also maybe have hot water or heating for a few days too.” Phil is grateful for the help he received from the foodbank, so when he heard that they needed volunteers, he jumped at the opportunity to get involved.
“I always felt like I needed to give something back because of the way it’s helped me. I can’t give financially but I can give my time.” He now enjoys spending two days a week volunteering and told us: “I’ve helped people who have come in and because I’ve been in that position I can empathise with the clients.”
“It was very humbling and heart-warming to find out that places like the foodbank exist.” Phil said he had never much thought about foodbanks before needing their help: “Using the foodbank was quite upsetting for me because I always thought they were for homeless people on the street.”
Although things are still a struggle for Phil he remains optimistic about the future: “My situation is a work in progress, but the support is there; to find out there are places that can help you with food and other things is amazing.”
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Summer 2017
1997
Carol and Paddy Henderson founded The Trussell Trust in 1997 from a legacy left by Carol’s mother, Betty Trussell.
2000
Salisbury Foodbank is launched, operating from a garden shed. It helped 600 people in it’s first year.
2004
Foodbank Network is launched opening foodbanks across the country and helping people in crisis.
2005
First community shop opens providing much needed income and volunteering opportunities.
2008
Our in-country partner FSCI Bulgaria is launched working with orphanage leavers equipping them with the skills to lead independent lives.
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2015
The number of emergency food supplies goes for the first time over 1 million.
2014
2016
More Than Food projects like our Eat Well Spend Less cookery and budgeting course are launched to tackle the root cause of food poverty.
The Charity Awards Overall Winner
Foodbank Network grows to 400 foodbanks.
2012
2013
The Trussell Trust receives recognition for the vital work that it carries out.
2011
100 foodbanks launched. Local communities rise to the challenge that would see a further 330+ foodbanks being opened by 2017 across the UK.
Charity Times Awards Charity of the year Winner
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Looking to the future
We will increase and develop our More Than Food strategy to decrease reliance on emergency food and help more people who are struggling in our communities.
We will continue to be a voice for vulnerable people and those in greatest need by maintaining and increasing pressure on the Government and work closely to ease the transition of Universal Credit, which has already caused temporary hardship to thousands of people across the UK.
We will continue to raise awareness with the public to highlight the needs of the most vulnerable in their communities.
We will work to restore our clients’ hope, confidence and dignity for as long as we’re needed.
The gift that keeps on giving Leaving a gift in your Will is a wonderful way to continue to make a difference to the causes you care about even after you are gone.
Our work is only possible because of the generosity of our founders who decided to use the legacy they had been left to make a difference.
If you would like to find out more about leaving a legacy please visit www.trusselltrust.org/will or call 01722 580 178.
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Our work overseas It’s twenty years since Paddy and Carole Henderson met a young mother and her infant son, Boris, at a railway station in Bulgaria. Dirty, starving and seemingly lacking any hope, the couple gave them food and supported them for a number of weeks. Sadly, this case was a drop in the ocean – there were over sixty children living on the street, falling prey to drugs and prostitution and the couple were determined to help as many of them as possible. Although The Trussell Trust went on to establish the UK Foodbank Network it remained committed to Bulgaria, founding an in-country NGO, The Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion (FSCI). FSCI now has projects throughout Southeast Europe, a region suffering from the legacy of communism, failed political reform and war, where too many people are vulnerable to extreme poverty and criminal exploitation.
THINGS CAN BE BETTER By working with communities and local NGOs through innovative projects like its House of Opportunity Programme, FSCI wants to demonstrate that the vicious cycle of poverty and social isolation can be broken. The Trussell Trust is in the process of handing responsibility for UK and European fundraising and support for the work in SE Europe to a new charity - FSCI (UK). Watch this space! To find out more visit www.trusselltrust.org/overseas
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Universal Credit
Early Warnings Report In April we released our report, ‘Early Warnings’, looking at the impact of the introduction of Universal Credit - the new system of administering benefits, currently being rolled out across the UK. This is the first time we released a report which outlines observations from foodbanks about the impact of a policylevel change and what can be done to ease any adverse side effects. We’re raising concerns now, before the new system is fully rolled out, so our insights might inform efforts to ensure that Universal Credit is delivered in the least disruptive way across the rest of the UK.
16.85%
Average increase in referrals for emergency food where Universal Credit has been rolled out The report shows that foodbanks in areas of full Universal Credit rollout to single people, couples and families, have seen a 16.85% average increase in referrals for emergency food, more than double the national average of 6.64% annual increase. As before, it also finds that people claiming Universal Credit are seeing long waits, often leading to poor mental health, piling debts and issues with housing. Foodbanks are helping where they can, but should never be seen as a replacement for the Welfare System.
We know the system of benefits right now is too complicated. Foodbank staff often speak to people experiencing the system for the first time and who are struggling to understand how it works. The move to simplify it is a welcome one, however, we also understand that any large reform can have unforeseen consequences. We are sharing the frontline insights of our Foodbank Network with the Department for Work and Pensions and the public to ensure any adverse side effects of Universal Credit are addressed in policy and practice. In the past year we have made practical suggestions to decision-makers to tackle the issues foodbanks are seeing, rooted in evidence from our network. Following the recent General Election we hope to continue building constructive engagement with new MPs and Ministers in order to tackle hunger in the UK. To read our full report and key recommendations please visit: www.trusselltrust.org/ early-warnings
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Bringing the network together In May we invited teams from our entire foodbank network together for our annual National Foodbank Conference in Sandwell. As well as offering a selection of lectures, seminars and surgeries, it gave staff and volunteers the chance to get together and swap stories, experiences and see how they can learn from each other and work together. John Kirkby, Founder of Christians Against Poverty, gave the keynote speech with Simon Hopkins, CEO of Turn2Us also presenting to delegates. Dr Rachel Loopstra from King’s College, London shared her findings of one of the most in-depth research projects into foodbank usage in the UK (read our article on pages 6-7 to find out more).
Seminars included subjects such as ‘Meeting the challenge of fighting UK poverty’, ‘Building relationships with local businesses’ and ‘Serving multi ethnic communities’ and surgeries covered topics such as ‘Eat Well
Spend Less’, ‘Holiday Clubs’ and ‘Engaging in local research projects’. We were keen for participants to leave feeling empowered to help serve their local community and excited about putting their newly acquired skills into practice!
This is the only time in the year when all the foodbank teams from across the UK get together, (although smaller regional teams meet throughout the year to take part in training and development). The conference also gave delegates a chance to meet Trussell Trust staff in person and put a face to the voice on the end of a telephone or email and vice versa. CEO David McAuley took this opportunity to thank everyone involved in making The Trussell Trust such a force in the fight against poverty. “This really is one of my favourite times of the year. To see all these people in one place, all working together for a shared goal is phenomenal and I’m extremely grateful to each and every one of the delegates for attending.”
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Breathing new life Louai’s Story
Summer 2017
Summer 2017
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Syrian Louai Abbara, his wife and son were brought to Salisbury in June 2016. Fourteen-year-old Abdul had been receiving chemotherapy in a hospital in Jordan and UNICEF stepped in and transferred the family to Wiltshire so Abdul could receive further treatment. Louai, a maths teacher, has always worked and been active, so sitting at home was never going to be an option for him. He enrolled in college with his wife to learn English and adapt to their new lives in a country that was different in so many ways to where he had come from. Culturally it was very important for Louai to go to work every day, so he started volunteering at The Trussell Trust’s Furniture Restoration and Upcycling project in Salisbury. Getting dressed for ‘work’ in the morning gave Louai a purpose again and soon he found that, not only was his English improving, but he also enjoyed learning new skills and getting to know people socially.
Louai enjoys his time volunteering at The Trussell Trust because he feels part of a bigger family. He also values the opportunity to give something back
to the community that has welcomed and helped his family. Knowing that the furniture he is restoring will aid the fundraising efforts of the charity has also been very significant to him. Abdul is recovering well and is back in school and the family has settled well into their new life.
The Furniture Restoration and Upcycling project is part of The Trust’s Social Enterprise Scheme. Money is made from selling goods and services in the open market, and profits are invested back into the business or the local community. While hunger is often the most pressing issue to deal with, many of the people who use foodbanks also lack confidence and feel forgotten by society. Getting involved in volunteering gives people a chance to play a role in their community, like former foodbank client Phil, who now volunteers in his local foodbank (read his story on page 8.)
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Holiday clubs Tackling holiday hunger and social isolation head on. As the school holidays approach, we are bombarded with the usual selection of adverts from every direction about sunny holidays in far flung places and fun day trips for the kids. We could keep them entertained with a day at a theme park or maybe the zoo - but at a price, of course! But what if you’re a parent who struggles to afford to feed your children during school holidays because the free school meals you rely on during term time are not available?
“The kids have managed to have fun. We have been short of money which limits things we can do with them.” Throughout July and August last year 63,000 children and young people under sixteen used foodbanks in the UK. At The Trussell Trust we see distinct
Summer 2017 spike in the number of packages being distributed during holiday periods and felt we needed to address it. Last year we ran a Holiday Clubs pilot scheme across the UK. The idea was simple: we would train volunteers to run Holiday Clubs where children could get a hearty lunch and take part in a variety of activities while the parents or guardians could engage with their children and receive support and advice to help in their situation.
Newslink 19 especially during school holidays, and this is something we have always been keen to tackle at ground level. The volunteers are always on-hand with a cup of tea and a listening ear for everyone who comes to the Holiday Clubs.
“Because it shows people care, realise people can be on a tight budget and allows you to come to something with your child that benefits both of you.” We were thrilled with the feedback, with both children and their parents reporting to us that they had benefited from the Holiday Clubs. 85% reported that coming to a Holiday Club had made a difference to what their family did over the holidays.
The volunteers were crucial to putting the plan into action and created a wonderful experience for children and their parents or guardians. For a few hours, kids could get out and just have fun with other kids. In addition to having a good meal, the children and their parent or guardian may also learn how to cook healthy meals on a budget at home.
“Coming here has saved me money for things to do. Plus, me and little one have enjoyed coming” Social isolation and loneliness are often associated with poverty and hunger,
Following the success of the Holiday Clubs we are extending the programme to reach a greater number of children and will be running over twenty clubs this summer with plans to extend further going forward. We’re grateful for all the help and support we have had setting up these Holiday Clubs.
Contact us Unit 9, Ashfield Trading Estate, Ashfield Road, Salisbury SP2 7HL
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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, Richard Haydon, Gabriel Bahnareanu, Alex Howell, Jason Alden, BBC, BBC EastEnders, FSCI Bulgaria.