On Wednesday 15 May 2024, we released our stats on the number of emergency food parcels that Leeds North and West Foodbank provided within our local community between April 2023 and March 2024.
The worrying new figures reveal that we have provided 16,001 emergency food parcels to people who couldn’t afford the essentials in Leeds over the last twelve months – and 5858 of these went to children.
In addition to this, food banks across the Trussell Trust network collectively provided more than 3.1 million emergency food parcels to people experiencing hunger and hardship in the past year – with more than 1.1 million of these going to children.
Inflation may have started to fall, but the number of people going without the essentials continues to be higher than ever before across the UK. In fact, this year’s figures, still represent a 4% increase compared to last year, when inflation was higher.
It’s 2024 and we’re still facing historically high levels of food bank. This can’t be allowed to continue.
Together with food banks across the Trussell Trust network, we’re supporting the Guarantee our Essentials campaign.
Ensuring that the UK’s social security system is fit for purpose is critical and introducing an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ into Universal Credit would ensure everyone has a protected minimum amount of support to afford the essentials we all need to live.
As we approach the next UK general election, we also urgently need all political leaders to set out how they will build a future where no one needs a food bank to survive.
A supportive social security system is the bedrock on which we end hunger for good. Building on this, we need much more effective employment and financial support for parents, carers and disabled people and action to ensure everyone can have the security we all need to access.
The Trussell Trust has set out the crucial actions the next UK Government must take to ensure everyone has the security of being able to afford the essentials, and we can consign the need for food banks to history, which you can read more about here: www.trusselltrust.org/manifesto
Whilst we push for a more just future where no one needs our food bank to get by, your support is vital so that we can be there for people experiencing hunger and hardship in our community right now.
Your generous support makes a huge difference. As we navigate meeting the need for our services, we would be incredibly grateful if you could:
- Please donate the following food or toiletries long life milk, long life fruit juice, tinned fish, tinned tomatoes, tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned vegetables, shampoo, shower gel , soap, deodorants or toilet roll. Donations can be made at any of our donation points at supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda or Waitrose or directly at any of our foodbank centres or our warehouse.
- Please make a financial donation either online, by cheque, or in cash
- Please join us in volunteering with one of our current vacancies in our foodbank centres application links
Thank you for standing together with us. We recognise how challenging things are right now, which is we are so grateful for your support.
Together, we will be there for people struggling to afford the essentials. And together, we will make a transformational difference in Leeds so that no one needs Leeds North and West Foodbank to get by.