By Lea Legraien: The Trussell Trust has seen a staggering increase in the number of food parcels distributed over the last five years. The food bank charity network provided more than 2.1 million emergency food parcels between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. Of these, 832,000 were for children. This represents an 81% increase compared to the same period five years ago.

The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of more than 1,300 food bank centres.

In a blog post on New Philanthropy Capital’s website, Grace Wyld, a member of the policy research team at the Trussell Trust, wrote that food banks around the country are under increased pressure as the cost-of-living crisis bites hard.

She said: “In recent weeks we have been encouraged by politicians to cut back on luxuries and shop around for cheaper supermarket staples. But for people already struggling to afford the essentials, there is simply nothing left to cut and food banks across the UK are picking up the pieces.”

Wyld said that people referred to food banks in the charity’s network have on average “just £57 a week to live on after housing costs”.

“While charities will do everything they can to support people facing financial hardship, they cannot and should not be expected to pick up the pieces for the UK government and an increasingly threadbare social security system,” she added.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Gerald Jones, a Welsh shadow minister, said that requests for foodbank vouchers and other charitable support in his constituency have increased by “more than 500%”.

He said: “My local food banks operate in challenging times and, on a number of occasions recently, have come close to running out of food, given the huge demand.”

His comments followed a meeting with Citizens Advice Merthyr Tydfil, a charity that provides advice and campaign on big issues affecting people’s lives.

The number of charitable support issues, which include the Discretionary Assistance Fund, baby banks, food bank pantries and help from churches, rose from 71 to 256.