On Wednesday 26 April 2023, we released our stats on the number of emergency food supplies that East Lothian Foodbank provided within our local community between April 2022 and March 2023.
The alarming new figures reveal that we have provided 12,341 emergency food supplies to people who couldn’t afford the essentials in our community over the last year – and 4,491 of these went to children. This represents a 44% increase on the previous year.
Across Scotland food banks in our network distributed emergency supplies to nearly 260, 000 people, a 30% increase from last year.
In addition to this, food banks across the Trussell Trust network provided nearly 3 million (2,986,203) emergency food parcels to people experiencing hunger during this time – with over 1 million of these going to children.
This is the most parcels food banks in our network have ever distributed in a single year and represents a 37% increase compared to last year, and more than double the amount distributed by food banks in the same period five years ago.
This isn’t right and we can’t allow this to go on.
Together, with food banks across the Trussell Trust network, we are calling for MPs across the UK to support a social security system that guarantees our essentials, by making sure that the basic rate of Universal Credit is at least enough to afford the essentials we all need to live.
If you would like to support us by writing to your local MP, please click here to find out more.
No one should need the support of our food bank because everyone in our local community should be able to live lives free from hardship and poverty.
That’s why your support is needed now more than ever.
As we navigate these challenging times and do our utmost to meet the increasing need for our services, your support means everything to us.
Please donate any of the following food or toiletries:
- Tinned soup
- Tinned fruit
- Tinned potatoes
- Long-life fruit juice
- Rice pudding or custard
- Pasta sauce
Don’t forget you can download the BanktheFood app to keep up to date with our shortages while you are shopping. Or you can bvut from our wishlist on ForCommonGood.
If you’re able to make a financial donation you can do so in a variety of ways. Don’t forget we can claim Gift Aid on donations, and you can fill in a our Gift Aid form to increase your donation by 25%. Thank you.
If you’d like to volunteer with us all our volunteer opportunities can be found here.
We recognise how difficult times are right now, which is why we really appreciate all and any support you are able to offer. Together, we can ensure help is here for everyone who needs it in East Lothian, whilst we also collectively work towards a more just future where no one needs our food bank to get by.
Thank you for all that you’re doing.