Number of children using Hackney Foodbank doubles in two years – as charity urges government to act

Tough winter ahead: Hackney Foodbank CEO Pat Fitzsimons. Photograph: Julia Gregory

The number of children using Hackney Foodbank has doubled over the past two years, the charity has revealed.

Staff believe the increase is largely down to high rents, and Universal Credit failing to keep up with rising living costs.

In 2022, Hackney Foodbank provided emergency food for 5,522 children. In the first three quarters of 2024, it has already supported 8,726 children.

CEO Pat Fitzsimons said: “Families with children are among those hardest hit. We regularly meet parents who go hungry so their children can eat.

“We’re working hard to make sure everyone has access to good, nutritious food.

“All of our food parcels now contain fresh fruit and vegetables from the Felix Project or Growing Communities.

“Our lunch support scheme provides vouchers for parents of school-aged children so they don’t go hungry during the holidays.

“We also promote the Healthy Start programme, which helps parents of pre-school children access healthy food.

“We urge the government to take action to ensure Universal Credit keeps pace with rising costs, so it really does guarantee the essentials.”

New research by national food poverty charity the Trussell Trust found that one in five children in the UK are growing up facing hunger and hardship – a rise of 46 per cent over the last two decades.

The Trust also revealed that five million people in the UK who live in disabled families are now in poverty – an increase of 1.2 million since 2012/13.

A recent survey conducted by Hackney Foodbank found that 68 per cent of its visitors have a long-lasting physical or mental health condition, with 82 per cent saying this impacts their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.

Fifty-two per cent of respondents said they had skipped meals more than once a week because there wasn’t enough money for food.

Fitzsimons said: “The very people our social security system should be supporting are being let down because the payments fall woefully short of what’s needed to get by.”

The Foodbank supports 670 people per week on average, with 75 per cent visiting between one and three times a year.

In the past 12 months, the charity has seen demand rise by 24 per cent.

Fitzsimons added: “This summer we supported more than 1,000 people in one week for the first time in our charity’s history.

“We’re bracing ourselves for a tough winter – if demand continues to rise at the current rate, we anticipate helping up to 1,500 people per week in peak times this winter.”

You can donate to Hackney Foodbank here.