Care professionals including social workers, health visitors and school staff can identify those in need and give them a foodbank voucher, enabling them to claim a parcel containing enough food for at least three days. All foods are non-perishable and nutritionally balanced.
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In addition, local authorities run discretionary support schemes that have replaced crisis loans from the Department of Work and Pensions. The council can refer those in need to claim their food parcel.
The history of food banks
The world’s first foodbank, St Mary's, was established in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1967, by John van Hengel, a Wisconsin-born entrepreneur. His idea was inspired after he observed how a mother was forced to feed her ten children alone after her husband was jailed.
A devout Catholic, he volunteered at the St Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Phoenix, where homeless people could get a hot meal. He bought a second-hand milk delivery truck and took any spare food to other homeless people he found on the streets.
Recognising the need for a more efficient means of ensuring people were fed, he asked Father Ronald Colloty, of St Mary's Basilica, for his help in setting up a warehouse, where multiple missions could pick up the spare food to distribute in their own local areas. In 1966, the church provided $3,000 and a bakery building to start storing the food.
While handing out food parcels to homeless people, Hengel met the destitute mother-of-ten, whose children looked surprisingly well-fed. She explained there was a "bank of food" that had enabled her to feed her family since her husband was jailed.
Upon realising grocery stores were throwing out huge amounts of surplus food that was still edible including frozen food, bread and vegetables; going inside the stores, he found other food was thrown away such as leaking bags of sugar and rice, or dented cans.
In 1967, Hengel arranged for unsold food from grocery shops to be stored and distributed among the homeless and other needy people. He called it St Mary's Food Bank in honour of the church's donation that had made it possible. His idea had soon spread across the whole of the United States and then around the world.
The UK's first foodbank
The spread of foodbanks was slower in some European countries, including the UK, because of the belief that the welfare state supported poorer people. However, in the latter years of the 20th century, it soon became clear people were living in poverty in Britain too.
The practice of giving free food to the poor wasn't new. In fact, historical records showed food, drinks and clothing were distributed among impoverished people by the church and charitable benefactors as early as 1066, when William the Conqueror ruled Britain.
After the realisation that many people in the UK were starving, the first British foodbank was launched in 2000 by The Trussell Trust. Initially, the food was stored in a garage and garden shed in Salisbury.
The Trust researched all over Britain and discovered how great the need was for foodbanks, so organisers began to roll out the scheme nationally. In 2004, The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network was founded, based on the successful Salisbury Foodbank initiative. Today, there are more than 440 foodbanks run by the Trust all over Britain.
Community support is crucial to keep them going. As well as getting the surplus from supermarkets, grocery stores and other suppliers, the Trust relies on food donations from the public.
Who can apply for food from the Trussell Trust?
The charity works with the ethos that no-one should go hungry. People can struggle financially for all sorts of reasons such as illness, disabilities, family breakdown, or job loss, to name but a few. Bad things can happen to anyone, no matter their age, geographical location or social group.
The Trussell Trust runs more than 60% of Britain's foodbanks. Often hosted by churches in liaison with community groups, schools, businesses and individuals, the food is supplied as a result of someone’s generosity.
Food donations are crucial; 2020 has been a massive struggle due to the Covid-19 pandemic, job losses and a reduction in income. Since the first UK lockdown began in March 2020, Britain's foodbanks have become increasingly desperate for donations.
The increase in need is continuing, with the UK now in its third lockdown. Meanwhile, there is also a drop in donations, as less people have disposable income and so are unable to donate food because they need it themselves.
The Independent Food Aid Network, an organisation that liaises with more than 250 foodbanks in Britain, said food donations went down "dramatically" when the pandemic started to gather pace. While the number of people using foodbanks has risen steadily every year, the increase has been significant since 2020.
In 2009, just under 26,000 people in the UK used foodbanks. This figure had risen to one million in 2015. By 2020, around 1.9 million people required help - up 300,000 on the previous 12 months.
For Health and Safety reasons, some food shops have removed the boxes where people can put food donations, while some supermarkets have put a limit on the number of tinned items each customer can buy to deter stockpiling, so people have been unable to buy a couple of extra tins to help out.
New research by The Trussell Trust reveals UK foodbanks are likely to give out six emergency food parcels every MINUTE in 2021. The charity forecasts a 61% increase in food parcels will occur across its UK network, due to the extended lockdown. Around 50% of the people using a foodbank this winter say they have never needed one before. Families with children have been hit the hardest.
People are urgently requested to donate food, or money, if possible, to ensure foodbanks can continue to operate. You can also volunteer to support your local community, either by fundraising, or starting your own foodbank. More than 90% of food at the Trussell Trust is donated by the public. If you would like further information, email enquiries@trusselltrust.org or call 01722 580 180.
Solent Plastics supplies food storage containers to food banks to help with storage and efficiency.