#ReadySteadyAntrim Foodbank Challenge

Antrim Foodbank is asking the Antrim community to help support people in crisis with the #ReadySteadyAntrim Foodbank Challenge.

More people are being referred to Antrim Foodbank because they don’t have enough money coming in to cover essential living costs and the food bank needs more stock to meet the demand for emergency food.

Antrim Foodbank provides three days’ emergency food to people in crisis locally. Over 90% of the food given out by food banks is donated by the public. Supermarket collections are one of the main ways that the food bank is stocked and with the food bank busier than ever, the charity is asking people to give generously:

“More and more people are being referred to Antrim Foodbank because they don’t have enough money coming in to cover essential living costs and we really need local people to give what they can.” Says Fionnuala O’Donnell, Antrim Foodbank Manager. “Rising prices, static incomes, and high unemployment are having a real impact on people on the breadline and we’re seeing more people turning to the food bank for help. We want the Antrim community to really think about what food poverty is. We are asking you to take the #ReadySteadyAntrim Foodbank Challenge: to serve up a hearty meal for a family of four using only the ingredients in one of our food parcels.” 

Antrim Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust’s UK Foodbank Network. The food bank provides a minimum of three days’ emergency food to help people through short-term crises. Each food bank also signposts people to other local agencies able to help resolve the underlying cause of the crisis.

 

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Notes to the editor

Antrim Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust’s UK Foodbank Network. Between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021, food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network distributed 2.5 million emergency food parcels to people in crisis, a 33% increase from the previous year. Almost a million of these went to children – that is almost two parcels every min. Trussell Trust foodbanks provide a minimum of three days’ emergency food to people in crisis. Over 90% of the food given out by foodbanks is donated by the public.

All those who receive emergency food are referred by frontline care professionals such as doctors, social workers, and Community Advice advisers.

Food parcels typically contain items such as tinned fruit and vegetables, tinned meat and fish, pasta, sauces, long-life juice, UHT milk, cereal, tea, rice pudding, biscuits, and soup.

Last year Antrim Foodbank collected 21 Tonnes of food from the public and provided emergency food to 2,832 people of which 1.223 were children.

1 in 5 people lives below the poverty line in the UK.

 

We know the main reasons why people need emergency food are:  

Problems with the benefits system (delays, inadequacy, and reductions) 

Challenging life experiences or ill-health 

Lack of informal support 

Poverty isn’t inevitable, and there is something we can all do to help build a future where no one needs a food bank.

Other reasons for referrals include delayed wages, domestic violence, sickness, unemployment, debt, benefit changes, refused short-term benefit advance, homelessness, and absence of free school meals during school holidays.

The average weekly income of households at food banks is only £50 after paying rent.

Source URL - https://www.issuewire.com/readysteadyantrim-foodbank-challenge-1698178106426000

* This article was originally published here