1 in 5 (21%) London foodbanks say they expect to see a significant increase, of double or more, in demand for their services in the following year, with a further 63% saying they expect to see some increase, according to a new survey by The Felix Project.
London’s largest food redistribution charity surveyed all the community organisations they regularly support, such as food banks and pantries, community centres, homeless shelters, primary schools and faith organisations. In total 614 community organisations responded from across London.
The survey found 84% of organisations said they had seen an increase in demand since last year and almost half (47%) of organisations said the people accessing support were first time users. In addition, around a third (34%) say they have increased how often they run their existing food service. What was very concerning was that nearly 4 in 10 (38%) said they were worried they would not be able to meet the demand for food and 27% admitted they were worried they may have to close their operation. This could equate to 166 food service closures, leaving thousands with no support.
The survey clearly demonstrates how much need there is across the capital, Charlotte Hill OBE, CEO of The Felix Project said: “We know the cost-of-living crisis is having a devastating effect on people’s lives and it is not going away, in fact it seems to just get worse. This survey was carried out before what was called ‘awful April’ when people saw hikes in their council tax, energy, water and broadband bills. This will have further squeezed people’s budgets, left them with even less to cover food and resulted in more anxiety about being able to afford to feed themselves and their families. We know the organisations we support are doing everything they can to help, but it is clear The Felix Project plays a vital role in helping and I hope people and the food industry will help us do everything we can.”
The Felix Project provides regular food to almost 900 organisations and supports a further 300 on an ad hoc basis, usually during school holidays. The survey showed 93% of respondents agree that receiving Felix food enables them to make a difference in their community, it also revealed 87% are doing more than providing solely food, with many signposting people to additional support such as debt advice, employment, education and training or mental health support or even providing activities such as sports and leisure or craft.
One example is Dads House in Hammersmith and Fulham, they receive around 645KG a month of surplus food from The Felix Project’s Park Royal depot. The charity provide a food bank four days a week and run a lunch club on Tuesdays that helps families all over London. They also offer family law advice, football, yoga, and other activities, where dads can come together to combat loneliness. While some of the service is aimed solely at Dads, the food is available to everyone and each week they feed 250 families. They are expecting to see an increase in demand, William McGranaghan is the Founder and says: “We are seeing new people coming in every week, we are open to everyone and for me that’s so important. I don’t think anyone should have to get a voucher and explain or justify to someone they are in need; we help people for as long as they need it and that is one of the main reasons why demand is rising. The cost of living crisis is an ongoing issue, too many people are not earning enough to cover their expenses and that’s not changing so they have no choice but to turn to a foodbank like Dad’s House.”
