Thousands more people are facing starvation in the UK, as one Christian charity reports a surge in churches interested in offering ‘foodbanks’ for the poor.The Trussell Trust foodbanks offer foodboxes containing three days worth of nutritionally balanced non-perishable food.
The Trust’s network of church-led foodbanks has fed 24,000 people nationwide this year, a 71 per cent increase on last year.
It has also seen a 100 per cent increase in enquiries from churches wishing to set up new foodbanks in their towns and a 60 per cent increase in the number of new foodbanks launched.
Ebbw Vale foodbank manager, Adrian Curtis, said: “Currently at least 50 per cent of our foodbank clients are coming to us as a result of recession related problems. Times are tough for many and it’s so important that we as Christians are there to help. Our foodbank means we are meeting people at their point of crisis and are able to share with them unconditional love as well as practical help through emergency food.”
One of Adrian’s foodbank clients said: “It’s as simple as this: without this food parcel my children wouldn’t have any tea tonight.”
The recession has also made more volunteers available.
Foodbanks provide signposting to agencies that are able to help provide longer term solutions to other problems such as debt counselling.
Most people who use the foodbank are not homeless, but are referred to the charity for a variety of reasons, including redundancy, benefit delay, unemployment, illness, debt, an unexpected bill, bereavement.
Foodbank network manager, Jeremy Ravn, said: “We are so encouraged by the rising number of foodbanks opening across the UK, and by the way that churches are working together with their local communities: in the last year alone the public have donated over 200 tonnes of food to foodbanks to help feed people in crisis.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Source (RI)
SV (3)