Number of people using foodbank doubles.

THE number of residents who have had to turn to a foodbank in North Solihull has more than doubled in the past 12 months.
The Kingfisher Foodbank, in Smith’s Wood, has reported that almost 1,600 people made use of the facility during its second year of operation.
This is over twice the number who received rations during the previous 12 months, and suggests many families are struggling to get by, even as the UK economy continues to recover.
Rev Jo Johnson, chairman of Kingfisher’s management group, said: “We are delighted to be able to help our community in this way.
“It is a sad state of affairs when there are so many people in crisis who continue to need our assistance.”
The foodbank is registered with the Trussell Trust, a national charity, and provides tinned food and other produce to families across the local area – a network of 59 voluntary and statutory agencies
support the project.
Almost half those who received the emergency supplies were children.
The local picture is reflected nationwide; across the UK more than a million people received at least three days’ food from Trussell Trust facilities in the space of 12 months.
Adrian Curtis, the charity’s foodbanks director, said: “It’s difficult to be sure of the full extent of the problem as Trussell Trust figures don’t include people who are helped by other food charities or those who feel too ashamed to seek help.
“It’s crucial that we listen to the experiences of people using foodbanks to truly understand the
nature of the problems they face; what people who have gone hungry have to say holds the key to finding the solution.”
For more information on Kingfisher visit http://kingfisherfoodbank.weebly.com/

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