Over 10,000 more people turn to food banks in Northern Ireland, says charity

That is according to the charitable Trussell Trust, which operates a network of food banks across the UK and is today publishing research that shows a sharp increase in the number of people seeking help.

The charity is now urging the government to take action as it warns food banks face “breaking point”.The latest figures from the Trussell Trust reveal that almost 31,700 emergency food parcels were provided to people in Northern Ireland from April until September this year – almost 13,400 of these went to children. Overall, that’s a quarter more than were provided during the same period in 2021 and an increase of 194% compared to five years ago.With need outstripping donations for the first time in its history, the charity has said it has been forced to launch an emergency appeal to “ensure that food banks can meet the alarming level of need in their communities.”

Jonny Currie, network lead for NI at the Trussell Trust, said: “Everyone in Northern Ireland should be able to afford the essentials – to buy their own food and heat their homes. Yet, people coming to food banks are telling us they are unable to turn the heating on and are skipping meals so they can feed their children. These new statistics show that, even in summer months, people are struggling to afford the essentials and we are expect that this winter will be the hardest yet for food banks and the people they support. This is not right. This is not right.”

He continued: “We know that with the right support and a stable and sufficient income, people don’t need to turn to food banks for support. Over the last few years, the government has acted to protect people who are struggling, and this action has had made a difference. They must now act again: with swift support now to help people through the winter, and with vision for the longer-term to ensure that social security is always enough to weather challenging times.”UK-wide, the Trussell Trust say that over the last six months, 320,000 people have been forced to turn to food banks for the first time.

Nearly 1.3 million food parcels were handed out by food banks in its UK network over the same period – almost half a million of which went to children.

This is double the number provided in the same timeframe before the pandemic and a third more than were given out between April and September last year.

Chief executive Emma Revie said: “We are calling for the Prime Minister to act decisively in next week’s budget. We urge the UK government to realise their commitment of supporting people on the lowest income with a broad package of support.

“As well as ensuring that benefits rise with inflation as soon as possible, this must go further to close the gap between price rises and incomes over the winter.”