Over 7500 emergency food parcels handed out in Falkirk during lockdown

Dozens of emergency food parcels were handed out to children in Falkirk every week during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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That’s according to a report by the Trussell Trust showing a record 2.5 million parcels were distributed by its network of food banks across the UK in 2020-21.

The charity is urgently calling on UK governments to end the need for food banks “once and for all” amid soaring demand for help from families in crisis.

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In Falkirk the charity handed out 7,555 emergency food parcels over the period.

Pic: Fife Photo AgencyPic: Fife Photo Agency
Pic: Fife Photo Agency

Of those, 2,695 went to children – the equivalent to 52 every week.

The overall figure, which includes parcels with three or seven days’ worth of supplies, was a 9% increase on the total number recorded the previous year.

But the charity warned its data does not come close to revealing the full scale of demand across the country, with unprecedented numbers of people being helped by other organisations that sprang up during the pandemic.

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“No one should face the indignity of needing emergency food,” said Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust.

“Yet our network of food banks has given out record numbers of food parcels as more and more people struggle without enough money for the essentials.

“This is not right but we know we can build a better future.”

The charity is urging the public to write to their local candidates standing for election on May 6, asking them to commit to working to end the need for food banks if elected.

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