Number of food bank users doubles in two years

A Jersey charity has seen a sharp increase in the number of people seeking support for food and electricity costs.

Caritas said the number of families using its St Vincent de Paul food bank in St Helier had more than doubled since 2022.

Chief executive Patrick Lynch said the charity now needed 51 more bags of food and hygiene products donated for every one handed out.

The charity has already helped more than 500 families in 2024, which is between 700-800 people.

Mr Lynch said in February 2022 the food bank had supported 195 families and by February 2023 that number had risen to 391.

He said the increase was the result of rises in inflation, interest rates and the cost of renting.

This year, he said, the charity saw the number of households seeking extra financial support rise at the end of September.

He attributed the increase to people needing help to pay for heating as the colder weather arrived.

Despite "a huge amount of support" for the charity during this year's harvest, he said more supplies were needed.

"Going back to pre-Covid times, we used to get one bag of donations in and for that 10 bags went out," he explained.

"That number had increased at the beginning of this year to one in and 46 out.

"That number is now one bag of donations in, 51 out.

"So, despite the community helping us more, the need is so much greater that it's become more and more difficult to meet the needs of the people who are in need at this time."

Mr Lynch asked people who want support and those who wish to donate food and hygiene products to contact Caritas.

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