St Helens Foodbank sees fall in demand and here's why

More than 1.2 million emergency food parcels were given to people struggling to afford essentials by foodbanks in the Trussell Trust’s UK wide network between April 1 and September 30, 2020.

More than 470,000 of these parcels went to children.

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This was the busiest half-year period for foodbanks in the Trussell Trust’s history, and is a 47 per cent increase on the same period last year.

These figures do not include the number of people helped by community organisations, independent foodbanks and local authorities, which stepped up during the pandemic.

In St Helens, 3,001 food parcels were delivered between April and September 2020, compared to 3,940 during the same period last year.

A total of 1,158 food parcels went to children, down from 1477 during the same period in 2019.

Janice Macleod, St Helens Foodbank project lead, said the pop-up foodbanks run by various community groups likely had an impact on demand.

She said: “The downward trend in people accessing St Helens Foodbank appears to be due to the good people of St Helens coming together to support their immediate community which actually impacted the delivery of our service.

“The pop-up foodbanks and pantries which were set up across the borough and the local businesses taking up the gauntlet to help people in need during the first lockdown did have an impact on the number of people accessing St Helens Foodbank.

“I truly believe this shows the true heart of St Helens folk, with people once again coming together in times of need.

“St Helens Foodbank is keeping its doors open to ensure no-one goes hungry.”

One massive volunteering effort from the first lockdown was ran from Clock Face Miners Recreational Club in Bold.

The operation was coordinated by husband and wife Susanne and Eddy Edmonds, and Craig and Debby Hunt, who run the club.

Susanne, from Sutton Manor, is the current licence holder at the club and is also a trustee.

Looking back, she says it was an “eye opening” experience.

“We were overwhelmed by the generosity and support of the community and it was largely due to them that the project was so successful,” Susanne said.

“We had people helping to pack up food parcels and others out making deliveries that sometimes took them across the other side of town.

“A lady walked miles every day to deliver over 1,000 leaflets. We had people making numerous cash donations and people making regular donations of food and toiletries.

“We couldn’t have done it without the community support.

“When we first started out we had no idea how much it would grow and how many people we would actually be able to help. It was eye opening for a lot of us when we saw the struggles some people face on a regular basis, not just during this pandemic.

“We had no idea how many people actually rely on foodbanks on a regular basis.”

A community foodbank ran by volunteers during the first national lockdown was ran from Clock Face Miners Recreational Club in Bold

The Trussell Trust has welcomed recent steps made by the government to prevent people from falling into destitution – including a £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme for England, something the charity has campaigned for.

But the charity is concerned its foodbanks may still see high levels of need over the winter and beyond – particularly as redundancies recently hit a record high, doubling since the previous quarter.

The Trussell Trust is therefore asking the government to lock in the £20 rise to Universal Credit, brought in at the start of the pandemic, and make sure that people currently excluded, such as people receiving payments through the legacy system, get this money too.

It is also asking the government to suspend benefit debt deductions until a fairer approach to repayments can be introduced.

Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “Volunteers in food banks have been working hard under extremely difficult circumstances to make sure support is there for people struggling to afford essentials.

“But it’s not right that any of us are forced to a charity for food, at any time of year.

“In the last few weeks, we’ve seen incredible compassion and concern for people facing hunger following Marcus Rashford’s brilliant campaigning. And it’s hugely welcome to see the government build on steps already taken by providing significant new funding for local councils in England.

“This vital local support must work in coordination with a national welfare system that is strong enough to act as a lifeline to anyone struggling to afford the essentials.

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“This pandemic has shown the unexpected can hit us suddenly, with devastating consequences for people’s lives.

“But it’s also shown we can make huge changes to the way we live and look after each other. It’s shown that when we come together to push for change, the government responds.

“Together, we can build a hunger free future.”