Breadline Britain the rise of the food banks

Scandal as families turn to food banks for their Christmas dinner.

Struggling families even those who are in work are relying on food banks to provide their Christmas dinner.

Charities are providing parcels, including turkey, vegetables and other staples, to more than 60,000 families across the UK over the festive period.

Many of the recipients are earning a wage but not enough to put food on the table.

The dire revelation comes only days after one MP told how some hard-up shoppers were so desperate they fought to snap up discounted items in supermarkets.

It also follows news that diseases from the days of Dickens are returning as poverty-stricken families struggle to eat properly.

Ewan Gurr, of the Trussell Trust, which runs 400 food banks, said: “We’ve had 5,595 people referred to us because of low income but the actual number is likely to be far higher.

“That’s people in work but struggling to make their income stretch.

“People coming through our doors are on zero hours contracts, on static incomes or have had their hours cut and are struggling to put food on the table.

“There are people who have worked hard all their lives and yet are finding it hard to buy food and have a normal Christmas.”

There are now more than 100 food banks in Scotland alone.

The Trussell Trust is behind the bulk of them and has seen the number of outlets it runs rise from one to 43 in little more than two years.

Last week the charity provided food for more than 1,500 Scots and almost 4,000 people in the north of England.

The remainder of food banks are operated by churches and other charities.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has written exclusively for The Sunday Post on the issue, said: “In the past people used to donate toys for children at Christmas. Now they have to give them food.

“No-one can help but feel angry and sad about what’s happening.”

A damning new report by children’s charity Barnardo’s said it is increasingly referring families to food banks.

The report states that over the past three years almost half of its services have provided Christmas hampers to families as their incomes fail to keep pace with the increased cost of essentials like food and fuel.

The report said many young care leavers have come to services hungry as they had been forced to skip meals.

Margaret Lynch, of Citizens Advice Scotland, said: “The reason for the rise in food bank cases is that household incomes are not keeping up with the cost of living.

“Half of those who use food banks are actually working, but their wages are too low to sustain them.

“The other half are people on benefits, whose low incomes have been squeezed even further by harsh policies like the Bedroom Tax.

“And with more welfare cuts on the way, this situation looks set to get even worse.”

Britain has seen an explosion in the number of food banks operating across the nation.

The Trussell Trust is the largest provider with almost 400 branches UK-wide. However, the true number of food banks is thought to be far higher as many churches run services as well as other charities.

In Scotland alone there are more than 100 food banks of which 43 are run by the Trussell Trust.

Of the big cities Glasgow has the most with five. But there are also food banks in surrounding towns and suburbs including Kirkintilloch, Bearsden, Greenock, Larkhall, Hamilton, Barrhead, Paisley and Cumbernauld.

In Ayrshire, people can seek help from centres in Ardrossan, Prestwick and Darvel. Heading south west food banks can be found in Dumfries, Stranraer and Newton Stewart.

The east of the country also has its fair share with four in Edinburgh and one each in Tranent, Gorebridge, Whitburn and Peebles.

Fife and Angus have food banks in Kirriemuir, Dundee, Cupar, Leven, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline. And in the North East they can be found in Elgin, Inverurie, Banchory and Aberdeen.

In the Highlands and Islands there are food banks in Aviemore, Thurso, Kyle of Lochalsh, Fort William, Oban and Inverness as well as Lerwick in Shetland, Kirkwall on Orkney and Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.