Nearly one in four working parents turning to foodbanks as cost of living crisis shows no signs of easing
Hundreds of thousands of parents are turning to food banks to feed their families despite working in paid work as the cost of living continues to rise in the UK, new research has suggested.
Almost a quarter (23 percent) of working parents used food support in the past year, according to a survey by the Felix Project. This figure could equate to approximately 1,725,000 parents if played nationally.
A quarter of these parents turn to the food bank every week or two, while a growing number of parents say they are struggling to feed their children.
The findings are the latest stark reminder of the rising cost of essential goods that millions of people in the UK are struggling with. This follows a prediction earlier in the month by major foodbank provider Trussell that it would provide a food parcel every 10 seconds this winter.
Rachel Ledwith, community lead at The Felix Project, said: “This is a stunning picture; the evidence that children are going to bed hungry every week is heartbreaking and knowing that so many working people would go hungry if it weren’t for foodbanks shows the need we face across all parts of society.”
The food redistribution charity’s survey of 4,000 working parents also found:
- 10 percent of parents have to send their children to bed hungry at least once a week
- 9 percent of parents have to send their children to school at least once a week knowing they are hungry
- 67 percent of parents using food support are worried that their children are aware of the family’s financial problems
Edith is a single mother from South London who lives with her 16-year-old son. Although he works at school five days a week, he says he uses the food bank every Wednesday due to the increasing cost of basic needs.
She says it means she doesn’t skip meals, adding: “But as a parent, I shop less for myself, missing out on things because of the kids. To be honest, the service really helps me; I don’t know what I’d do without it.”
“I don’t do Christmas shopping. I don’t buy gifts because I don’t want to be in debt. So my children know that their mother won’t buy them anything tangible. We celebrate Christmas, but they don’t expect gifts because they don’t have money to buy them.”
Nike, which runs the food bank, says the service has become the norm for many children: “We still see a lot of people on benefits and retirees, but more working people are coming to us.
“They’re doing the best they can, but wages and bills don’t match and they have no choice unless they want their children to go to bed hungry – which unfortunately they do. I’m not surprised to see these numbers and would expect many food banks across the country to be in the same situation,” she says.
Research by the Living Wage Foundation in October found that more than half of low-paid workers in Britain are forced to regularly skip meals.
Findings from Project Felix support this; The proportion of parents turning to food banks rises to almost a third (30%) when their income is £25,000 or less.
A Government spokesman said: “Foodbanking is a disaster for the country and although it has decreased in the last year we are determined to do more.
“To help with living costs, we have increased the National Living Wage by £900 per year for a full-time worker from next year and will cut average energy bills by £150 from April.
“Thanks to our decision to lift the two-child limit and introduce a broader package of measures for families, we will lift another 550,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament.”
