This is equivalent to one parcel every 11 seconds and a 51% increase compared to five years ago. The annual figures also show ‘significant’ numbers of parents struggling to afford the essentials.
Since 2019/20 there has been a 46% rise in emergency food parcels provided to families with children, and a 32% rise in parcels to support children under the age of five.
Many food banks are now reporting seeing severe levels of hunger and hardship that are ‘heartbreaking’, with some parents forced to ration their own food to ensure they can feed their children, as well as people in such desperate situations that they open food parcels to eat before leaving the food bank.
The Trussell Trust are urging the Government to re-think the proposed cuts and to urgently update Universal Credit to ensure that everyone has enough money to afford the essentials in life.
Emma Revie, chief executive of Trussell Trust, said: “A whole generation has now grown up in a country where sustained high levels of food bank need feel like the norm. This should be a massive wake-up call to Government and a stark reminder of their responsibilities to the people of this country.
“It is clear that the public’s cost of living fears are far from over, and these numbers show why. If the UK Government truly wants to improve public services, boost the economy and make the UK a better place to live, then addressing hunger and hardship must be a priority.”