33,000 emergency food parcels handed out in region during Covid pandemic
More than 33,000 emergency food parcels were handed out in the Black Country and Staffordshire during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
That's according to a report by the Trussell Trust showing a record 2.5 million parcels were distributed by its network of food banks across the UK between April 2020 to March 2021.
The charity is urgently calling on the UK Government to end the need for food banks "once and for all" – amid soaring demand for help from families in crisis.
In Sandwell, the charity handed out 21,320 emergency food parcels over that time period – with 8,410 going to children, equivalent to 162 every week. The overall figure, which includes parcels with three or seven days’ worth of supplies, was more than double the total number recorded the previous year.
Meanwhile in Cannock Chase, 7,779 emergency food parcels were handed out between April 2020 and March 2021. Of those, 2,927 went to children – the equivalent of 56 every week. It was a 40 per cent increase on the overall number recorded the previous year.
In Walsall, 4,238 emergency food parcels were handed out – with 2,129 going to children, equivalent to 41 every week. It was an 84 per cent increase on the total number recorded the previous year.
A total of 408 emergency food parcels were handed it out in South Staffordshire – with 199 going to children. The figures were roughly in line with the previous year.
More than 4,300 emergency food parcels were given out by the charity in Wyre Forest – with 1,873 going to children. The overall figure was slightly down on the previous year.
Dave Webb, manager of Rugeley Trussell Trust food bank, said: "The pandemic meant that things got very hectic for us and the biggest concern was where we were going to get food from because a lot of local sources such as schools and churches closed and supermarkets were missing produce from the shelves.
"Luckily for us, Tesco stepped up with half a ton of food each week, plus I did a deal with British Gas for their lorries to transport goods from the north
"It's been really difficult to judge the last year in terms of demand, but the food bank itself has been quieter at times because of the pop-up services being set up and local churches stepping up to help as food banks.
"I do foresee a problem later on as furlough is ending and people may be losing their jobs, so there's lots of factors that could see us facing demand.
"The support we've had from the community and businesses has been great and it's really helped us to ensure we can help those who most need it."
Steve Grimsley, Walsall North food bank project lead, added: "We saw a 73 per cent increase in demand in the last year and, at times, it has been horrendous.
"Around 54 percent of the demand we've had have been children and there's been a lot of families coming to us, as well as people from a range of backgrounds.
"We've had some fantastic support from the community and the churches we've worked with in the last year, including Pelsall Methodist church where we are based and St Marks in Shelfield.
"I anticipate a problem later this year with universal credit and furlough and the fact the basic support network isn't there and we can't signpost people due to the pandemic.
Cause
"We feel that food banks are like a sticking plaster as they don't address the root cause of the issues they are facing."
But the charity has warned its data does not come close to revealing the full scale of demand across the country, with unprecedented numbers of people being helped by other organisations that sprang up during the pandemic.
“No one should face the indignity of needing emergency food,” said Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust.
“Yet our network of food banks has given out record numbers of food parcels as more and more people struggle without enough money for the essentials.
“This is not right but we know we can build a better future.”
Across the UK, the 2.5 million parcels handed out in 2020 to 2021 represented a 33 per cent increase on the previous year. Of those, around 980,000 – 39 per cent – went to children.
A government spokesman said: “We are committed to supporting the lowest-paid families and have targeted support to those most in need by raising the living wage, spending hundreds of billions to safeguard jobs, boosting welfare support by billions, and introducing the £269m Covid Local Support Grant to help children and families stay well-fed.
“We know that getting into well-paid work is the best route out of poverty, and our multi-billion pound Plan for Jobs is helping people across the country re-join the workforce as restrictions are eased.”
