Fylde Foodbank expects biggest demand yet for help from families in need of help in 2023

“We are seeing more new faces all the time,” said Coun Linda Nulty, who chairs the Trustees of the Foodbank which has outlets in St Annes, Kirkham and Warton and is part of the Trussell Trist network.

“The figures went up notably during the pandemic and the Universal Credit cut brought a spike after that and we have seen substantially increased demand since.

"The build-up to Christmas is always a busy time but I expect the activity to just keep increasing into the new year

“The rise in utilities bills and the cost of living generally is clearly hitting people and it will get worse.

"The new faces we are seeing all the time, include more and more working people who are struggling to make ends meet.

"But the supplies are holding up well and we are grateful as ever for the wonderful support we get from the community in terms of donations which allow us to keep putting the parcels together.”

The latest figures issued for Fylde Foodbank by the Trussell Trust show that the amount of parcels handed out by food banks have rose substantially from last year to this.

A total of 2,872 were handed out between April 1 and September 30, 2022, compared to 1,698 between the same period 12 months earlier. Back in 2017, the figure was 971.

The Trussell Trust supports more than 1,300 foodbank centres nationally and says the cost of living emergency has created a ‘tsunami of need’, as people struggle to survive amidst the soaring costs of living.

The charity has warned that foodbanks are at ‘breaking point’, both physically and mentally, and are facing the hardest winter yet as they expect to provide more than 7,000 emergency food parcels a day on average through the harshest season.

Emma Revie, chief executive at the Trussell Trust said: “People have been telling us they’re skipping meals so they can feed their children. That they are turning off essential appliances so they can afford internet access for their kids to do their homework.

“How can this be right in a society like ours? And yet food banks in our network tell us this is only set to get worse as their communities are pushed deeper into financial hardship.

“No one’s income should fall so dangerously low that they cannot afford to stay fed, warm and dry.”

Linda added: “We're so grateful for the generous support of our volunteers and to local people who have donated to the foodbank. Together, you’ve made sure that local people who can’t afford the essentials don’t face hunger.

“The support we see across the community for people on the lowest incomes is incredible. But it shouldn’t be needed. We should all be free from hunger. It’s not right that anyone in our areas needs our foodbank in the first place - everyone should be able to afford the essentials.”

Fylde outlets at St Annes (Tuesday and Thursday) and Kirkham (Monday and Friday) are open two days a week, with an outlet also at Warton on Wednesdays, but there is also an emergency contact number, 07592 542670, anyone in need can turn to anytime.