SCOTLAND has seen a massive surge in the number and use of foodbanks over the past year as thousands of people struggle to put meals on the table.
The Trussell Trust, a charity founded in 1997 which runs the majority of foodbanks in Britain, said Scotland had seen a staggering 900% increase in the number of centres which provide food to those in need.
At the beginning of 2011, there was just one Trussell Trust foodbank north of the Border – in Paisley – but nine others have since been launched in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, South and East Ayrshire, West Lothian, Angus, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.
Almost 6000 people in the country turned to the food provision centres for help in 2011-12 as a result of low income, unemployment and increasing living costs.
Across the whole UK, the trust calculates it will feed 100,000 people this year. For the same period in 2010-2011 the figure was 60,000; for 2009-2010 it was 41,000.
Each food box contains a minimum of three-days nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food – such as milk (UHT or powdered), sugar, fruit juice, soup, pasta sauces, tinned tomatoes, meat/fish and fruit, jam and biscuits or snack bars.
Ewan Gurr, Scotland development officer for the Trussell Trust, claimed people from all walks of life are relying on the service, even those who work.
He said: "There have always been issues with poverty in Scotland. Regional statistics show that 26% of people living in Glasgow are suffering from income-based deprivation.
"If we draw this to an extreme conclusion, we could assume this means one in four men, women and children are potentially going to bed hungry each night.
"There are high levels of unemployment and many people are facing redundancy, while others struggle on low pay."
Mr Gurr highlighted the case of one young man who got in touch with him via email because he didn't have enough money to eat.
The man had two university degrees and had been working as a website designer until April last year when he was made redundant. Mr Gurr said: "He told me he was continually struggling to purchase food and make ends meet, so we put him in touch with the Glasgow South East foodbank. He got back in touch to say the people there had been very caring and compassionate towards him and he couldn't believe the generosity of people."
Another service user, a married mother-of-one, was referred to the charity's Dundee centre by staff at her local job centre when she had her income support benefit suspended.
She told of her "stress and panic" as she struggled to feed her baby and herself, but said that help from the Trussell Trust foodbank was "like having a huge weight lifted from her shoulders".
The Muslim woman was even provided with Halal meat in her food parcel, courtesy of a local food store.
She said: "The food bank was a great help when I struggled to have money for food.
"I greatly appreciated the food parcels."
The trust relies on donations from local businesses and community groups, but also carries out collection drives at supermarkets which encourage shoppers to buy extra items to donate to the banks.
Peter Kelly, director of the Glasgow-based Poverty Alliance, said the rise was a sign of the austerity measures facing many Scots.
He said: "Foodbanks are a sign of the real distress that many people are experiencing.
"But it's not just destitute or homeless people who are being forced to turn to them as you might think – it's often people who are working and are on low incomes or benefits.
"The increasing use raises real questions about how we are able to support these people in real need."
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