Hackney Foodbank in plea for support as residents speak out about cost-of-living crisis – including one mother who has stopped her son taking baths

“The first time I came I was feeling shy, but all the staff are friendly and they made me feel more comfortable,” said a mother-of-three from Hackney who has become a regular at the food bank.

The full-time mum did not want to be identified but talked candidly about the cost-of-living crisis.

She said: “It was hard to [rely on the food bank] because I used to use my own money.”

The family had debt problems and her husband is in part-time work, making it harder for them to stay afloat.

They were referred to Hackney Foodbank for support.

With three children under 11, this winter poses an unknown worry and she has not had any help to deal with the debt.

Already the family are cutting back as the temperature starts to drop at night and the autumn leaves begin to fall.

“My son loves to have a bath, but I’ve stopped that because of the gas bill,” she explained. “It’s just a quick shower. I worry about the winter.

“I said we need to go out with more clothes on. I do not know what we are going to do.”

Like other families, she said she is taking steps to keep the cost of cooking down.

“I try to cook quick things like pasta,” she added.

Other mothers pushing buggies collected food at the Dalston distribution centre, and some people came on their own to be greeted by friendly volunteers.

Pat Fitzsimons, Hackney Foodbank’s chief executive, said many can be tipped over the edge into debt, including those who wait five weeks for their first Universal Credit payment.

Whilst the impact of the pandemic seems to be reducing at the moment, less welcome has been the drop in food donations and the number of volunteers. Donations have dropped by more than half compared to last year.

In 2021, the Foodbank helped 6,900 people, who paid 19,320 visits to collect parcels of food – enough to tide them and their families over for three days.

However, the need is growing this year and staff and volunteers are bracing themselves for a tough winter as people weigh up their budgets to see if they can afford to heat or eat.

Volunteers have consistently been giving out about 300 food parcels a week – compared with a high of 154 in 2018. The highest number in 2019 was 315 at Christmas, but most weeks saw the team distribute 200 parcels.

Fitzsimons said the Foodbank is only one of the charities helping out and she is concerned about the people not getting help.

It is unclear just how many people across Hackney are supported by charities and places of worship.

“I’m worried about what’s going to happen over the next two years,” Fitzsimons said. “We’re part of the welfare system and that’s wrong.”

She added: “We are expanding as much as we can.”

Two new distribution centres are planned – meaning the food bank will visit seven different places across Hackney.

Another new scheme is the Phone to Food project, which sees people get money loaded onto their phone so they can buy food in some of the bigger supermarkets in the borough.

It comes as Hackney Council has produced a guide to the help available for living costs. Those who are not online can call 0208 356 3111 from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

Meanwhile at the Foodbank warehouse, just two volunteers are working to fill crates with food parcels for individuals and families of three or four people.

Ideally there should be six volunteers on the three-hour shift, and the scarcity of helpers combined with fewer donations means the warehouse has not crated up as many parcels as supervisor Andrew Wildridge would like.

He would have a week’s worth of parcels ready, with another week on top, just in case the warehouse had to shut.

“We have one and a quarter weeks of single parcels and it is worse for family parcels,” he explained.

“My concern over this coming winter is if we measure it against pre-Covid donations it is down by half, but demand has doubled.

“We have a gap between what people donate and what people need.”

The charity offers a meat and non-meat selection of food, including beans and pasta, as well as toiletries such as toothbrushes and soap.

They also add in extras – such as the chocolates donated at Christmas or other goodies picked up at collection points throughout the borough.

The food bank cannot take alcohol, out-of-date or opened items, and whilst they appreciate the thought, they do not want the spices from the back of your cupboard.

Instead, there is a most-needed list on the website which includes biscuits, tinned soup, corned beef, toilet roll, tinned fruit, milk, juice, teabags, small coffee jars, and gluten-free food. It also requests shower gel, deodorant, washing-up liquid, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and toothbrushes, sanitary towels, and dog food.

The volunteers would appreciate more donations and pairs of hands to help fill the 60 needed at the warehouse, along with van drivers, and another 25 to 30 at the distribution centres.

It is thought that numbers have dropped, as they have at other charities, when people went back to work after lockdown.

Andrew Speakman has been volunteering at the warehouse for six months.

“I wanted to do it to feel a bit useful,” he said. “I think it’s important to give something back.”

In the church hall at Our Lady and St Joseph Church on Balls Pond Road, volunteer manager Jennifer Salmon said: “The main thing I like to see is people who are friendly. We have people from a wide range of backgrounds.

“We are all the same, it could happen to anyone just like that. Anyone can be earning good money to earning nothing.”

She said a bout of illness is enough to derail people – especially those on zero-hours contracts.

Volunteer Edward Smerdon said a key task is putting visitors at ease.

He was spurred to help out because of the fuel and cost-of-living crises.

“Volunteering at a food bank felt most relevant to Hackney,” he said.

“Some people are embarrassed and do not want to talk. They say they hope not to come again or say ‘I’m really sorry’.

“We say to them, ‘Lots of people are having this problem, it’s not just you – we’re here to help’.”

To find out more, visit hackney.foodbank.org.uk.