Boxing Day brought the usual scenes of frantic shopping and queuing in the high street for bargains. In sharp contrast to the now traditional festive spending sprees are the shocking figures which show how many families and individuals are having to rely on foodbanks in Scotland over the festive season, with 7,000 helped in the week before Christmas alone.
For too many people, the holidays do not mean a chance to relax and enjoy the festivities, but having to cope with additional financial pressures of struggling to find money for heating and to put food on the table.
The use of foodbanks has been steadily increasing in recent years, with low incomes and benefit sanctions cited as the major reasons for people seeking emergency food parcels. While the work of charities is welcome - particularly at this time of year - there is a real risk that foodbanks become part of the fabric of society, following the example of countries such as Canada. When foodbanks were first set up in Canada in the 1990s following cuts in public spending, it was assumed to be a temporary solution. Now more than 850,000 people use them each month.
The reality is charity will not solve the underlying challenges of poverty. If the Westminster Government is increasingly prepared to rely on volunteers and donations to help people it fails, the Scottish Government must take action to step in and do all it can to ensure foodbanks do not become a permanent feature of the welfare landscape.
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