More people in Liverpool are relying on food banks and community based groups to get by in January, a charities have said.
Organisations such as Scouse in the House and St Andrew’s Church food bank say they are what many rely on just to get by in the winter months.
The use of foodbanks has increased in the past 10 years with 1.9 million more emergency food parcels distributed from Trussell trust food banks, according to Statista.
Beryl Bellew, the leader at St Andrew’s food bank, said: “I’ve been running the foodbank since 2012 and year on year people have generally increased particularly in January. In my opinion there are quite a lot of reasons for that.”
(credits: Beryl Bellew)
The current cost of living crisis combined with Christmas expenses lead to more people requiring the services that this food bank provides.
St Andrew’s offers food to those in need, but they also provide people with comfort and someone to talk to.
Beryl said: “Without exception we are all friendly, we all have that scouse hospitality, humour and warmth that all comes across very clearly when I observe my volunteers.
“It’s also in the feedback we get from people who come in. They usually come out with a smile on their face and a bit of relief that they have food for the weekend, so I think a lot of that is down to the attitude and warm reception that they get from us.”
Scouse in the House, a community-run group of volunteers, also provides hot meals that are prepared by the volunteers and are usually made from food that is donated.
Photo credits: Beryl Bellew
Iris Yasin who has volunteered for Scouse in the House for the past year said: “Scouse in the House is also important for the community, they put people in contact with each other, they provide a warm place with warm food which is so vital to these people because it’s a break from tough times, that’s how we like to see it.”
Both organisations also seek to help people get the support they need.
Beryl said: “What we must do is to try and find out what is the cause of the people that need food.
“Is there any other wrap around support that these people need to help get them through this situation?”
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