Food bank demand up by 30% in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Food banks in part of Staffordshire have reported a big rise in demand, with some people switching off fridges in a bid to save energy.

Figures relating to six food banks in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area show a 22% increase for January and February compared with the same period in 2020, before the pandemic.

By March, demand was up 34% compared with 2020.

The Newcastle-Staffs Foodbank said some people could not rely on electricity.

"We've heard of people who... haven't got their fridge on at home, so they don't want anything that needs to be stored in the fridge," project lead Jane Baker said.

"[We've] got people who can't charge a mobile phone, so they can't access services to help them, so we're looking at what things we can put in place as... support rather than just providing the food parcel."

Ms Baker oversees six food banks in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area and said it was "really hard" to hear some people's stories and it was clear many were really struggling.

"They don't find it easy to walk into a food bank, they are just embarrassed," she said.

"Some people don't even ask for the help, so we want people to know that we're here and we can help."

Despite having a great team of volunteers, she said it was not right the group had to put "food on people's tables".

About one in five people in the UK were in poverty in 2020-21, according to one measure, but recent months have seen the highest rise in the cost of living in 30 years.

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