CALLINGTON Foodbank has reported a further increase in use as the cost of living crisis continues to inflict difficulty on people, leaving some struggling families wondering how they can afford to feed themselves.
Volunteers at the foodbank, based at the Mustard Tree Church on Launceston Road, have reported providing provided 506 food parcels feeding 1,222 people within Callington and the Tamar Valley who couldn’t afford the essentials in the last financial year from 2022 to 2023.
Children made up 421 (34.4%) of that number, which was a staggering nearly threefold increase on the previous year, with the total number of parcels distributed up by 33% from 2021 to 2022.
The Trussell Trust, a charity to which the Callington Foodbank is affiliated, has stated that such figures are reflective of the national picture and has recently announced that its network distributed three million emergency food parcels between April 2022 and March 2023 — the most ever given out in its history.
Alex Polglase, manager of Callington Foodbank and Calstock parish councillor, stressed that she is proud of the work that volunteers were doing to meet the needs of the community but that people did not deserve to struggle in life, particularly to procure the basics.
Alex said: “We believe that everyone should have enough money to be able to afford to buy food and other essentials. The majority of people that the foodbank support — 66 per cent — are on Universal Credit, including many who will also be in work. Universal Credit is not providing enough to cover the costs of life’s essentials, such as food, household bills or travel costs.”
Cllr Andrew Long, Mebyon Kernow’s representative for Callington and St Dominick, has echoed Cllr Polglase’s sentiments here, saying: “This is an absolute scandal as the fifth richest or strongest economy in the world we are having to have foodbanks to feed the working poor. It’s now people working full time who need them as they still aren’t earning enough money. It’s an insult that some MPs have implied that it was a sign of how wonderful and giving the country is to have foodbanks, whereas I’m saying it’s an actual shame that we should have them. The fact we are not looking after people properly and people need to rely on resources of help in the modern economy — it’s so sad.”
The Trussell Trust estimates that these core essentials cost a single person £120 per week, however the basic rate of Universal Credit falls short at £8 per week. Because of this, Callington Foodbank is supporting a new proposal from the Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation for an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ to ensure that the basic rate of Universal Credit will always be enough to afford the essentials everyone needs such as food, household bills and travel costs so that no one, locally and nationally, faces destitution.This guarentee sees the basic rate cover such essentials of life and that support can never be pulled below that level.
For anyone requiring access to the foodbank, vouchers can be obtained by calling Help through Hardship on 0808 208 2138. Help through Hardship is a free helpline who are able to help address crises and provide support to maximise income, help navigate the benefits system and identify any additional grants a person could be entitled to. They can also issue vouchers for an emergency food parcel.
To find out more about the Essentials Guarantee campaign, Callington Foodbank is having an open day on Friday, September 8 from 10am. Alternatively they can be contacted on 01579 550374 or by emailing: coordinator@callingtonfoodbank