More people needing city foodbank than ever before

Harriet Heywood & Louise Hulland

BBC News, Cambridgeshire

Cambridge City Foodbank Kate McIntosh is smiling at the camera while in the food bank. She is wearing a blue and white checkered top and a gold necklace. She has long brown hair and a side fringe. Behind her are shelves with green trays on. In the centre of the room, also behind her, are more trays stacked up with food inside them. More people needing city foodbank than ever before 4b383360 2e6e 11f0 a7db 8f86db302f9f — “[There is ] no shame in needing to come… no one should be put in that position in the first place,” says senior organiser, Kate McIntosh

An emergency food service says more people are turning to them for help than ever before.

Cambridge City Foodbank gave out 17,666 emergency food parcels last year, 20% more than in 2023.

The service said in some cases parents had been going without food so their children could eat, or were making items like one tea bag last a week.

Senior organiser, Kate McIntosh, said hunger in Cambridge was not always a food problem, but more of an income issue.

Cambridge City Foodbank A person wearing a long sleeve blue shirt is holding a green tray which has been filled with food. They are lifting it off a wooden table. At the top is a green packet of crisps and some white chocolate buttons in a purple packet. More people needing city foodbank than ever before 8c0a50d0 2ce3 11f0 b9d2 ffe9aa23cdd0 — “We will always be here to help people for as long as there is a need for us,” Ms McIntosh added

Visitors to the foodbank receive a parcel with three days’ of nutritionally balanced food for everyone in their household.

Ms McIntosh said that, thanks to the generosity of others, the service was able to keep food on its shelves – but it was becoming stretched as more people sought help.

“It doesn’t come down to if people are able to budget or not, it’s the fact there is just not enough money in the first place to stretch to cover people’s essential needs,” she said.

“There are so many more people turning to us for the first time and a lot more people needing to rely on us more than once.

“They don’t turn to us because they don’t know where their supermarket is or how to cook… people are making impossible choices between heating or doing a food shop.”

Cambridge City Foodbank In the centre of a rectangle shaped room are stacks of green plastic trays. These are the food parcels given to foodbank users. At the sides of the room are shelves with more trays on. A person stands in the background holding a piece of paper while looking at the food parcels. More people needing city foodbank than ever before 8228ddc0 2ce3 11f0 b9d2 ffe9aa23cdd0 — To use the foodbank a food voucher is needed. These can be attained via a referral process through community organisations like housing associations, GPs and advice charities

The foodbank said that, nationally, 86% of people who experienced food insecurity would not seek out help.

It added when people did come to them for help it was because they were “really pushed to the limit”.

Ms McIntosh said: “When people do visit us, quite often they have been going without food for quite some time because it can take a lot of courage to turn up.

“This is in Cambridge on our doorstep. This is people’s neighbours, friends, colleagues – it’s becoming such a common experience.”

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