New figures reveal we’ve provided 11,166 emergency food parcels in last year – a 90% increase on 5 years ago

Today we release our stats on the number of emergency food parcels that Wandsworth Foodbank provided within our local community between April 2023 and March 2024.

The worrying new figures reveal that we have provided 11,166 emergency food parcels to people who couldn’t afford the essentials in Wandsworth Borough during the last twelve months – and one in three of these went to children.

These continuing high numbers of emergency food parcels distributed match the number of food parcels given in the previous year, as local people continue to struggle to afford essentials such as food.

Inflation may have started to fall, but the number of people going without the essentials continues to be higher than ever before across the UK. In fact, this year’s Wandsworth Foodbank figures represent a 90% increase in food parcels provided compared to five years ago, and the need is not going down. At the moment donations are only just keeping up with demand, despite the great generosity of our community.

In addition to this, food banks like ours across the Trussell Trust network collectively provided more than 3.1 million emergency food parcels to people experiencing hunger and hardship in the past year – with more than 1.1 million of these going to children.

It’s 2024 and we’re still facing historically high levels of food bank need. This can’t be allowed to continue.

Together with food banks across the Trussell Trust network, we’re supporting the Guarantee our Essentials campaign.

Ensuring that the UK’s social security system is fit for purpose is critical and introducing an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ into Universal Credit would ensure everyone has a protected minimum amount of support to afford the essentials we all need to live.

As we approach the next UK general election, we also urgently need all political leaders to set out how they will build a future where no one needs a food bank to survive.

A supportive social security system is the bedrock on which we end hunger for good. Building on this, we need much more effective employment and financial support for parents, carers and disabled people and action to ensure everyone can have the security we all need to access

The Trussell Trust has set out the crucial actions the next UK Government must take to ensure everyone has the security of being able to afford the essentials, and we can consign the need for food banks to history, which you can read more about here: www.trusselltrust.org/manifesto

Whilst we push for a more just future where no one needs our food bank to get by, your support is vital so that we can be there for people experiencing hunger and hardship in our community right now.

The support of the community across Wandsworth Borough is vital in ensuring that we can be there for anyone who turns to us for help, but the continuing high levels of need we’re seeing have had a significant impact on stock levels. We would love people to donate food and essentials or financially to make sure everyone referred to us in hardship can get the help they need.

A typical emergency food parcel consists of items such as cereal, tinned fruit and vegetable, canned meat and fish, tea, coffee, cooking oil, UHT milk, pasta, rice and essential items including nappies and baby wipes, sanitary products, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Wandsworth Foodbank regularly updates its donation page on its website with most needed items and how and where to give, which can be found here https://wandsworth.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/

Alongside the provision of emergency food, we offer people a warm welcome plus advice and support from our Foodbank Advice Project in partnership with Citizens Advice Wandsworth – advice that makes it less likely someone will need the food bank again in the future. Last year the Foodbank Advice Project helped 575 local people who had needed to use the food bank, with an average income gain of £1,280.

Thank you for standing together with us. We recognise how challenging things are right now, which is why we are so grateful for your support.

Together, we will be there for people struggling to afford the essentials. And together, we will make a transformational difference in Wandsworth that no one needs Wandsworth Foodbank to get by.

Back to News