Cost-of-living crisis forces more Brits to foodbanks

Cost-of-living crisis forces more Brits to foodbanks

BRADFORD, UK: On an overcast morning in Bradford, northern England, a steady stream of locals arrive at a foodbank to collect produce parcels described as “a lifesaver” during the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Bradford Central Foodbank is helping twice as many people compared to pre-pandemic, as spiraling prices for energy, food and other basics leave a growing number of Britons struggling.

“The numbers since I’ve been a volunteer have only multiplied and I can only see it getting worse,” said Karl Carroll, 33, who has relied on the parcels since 2019 and is now volunteering at the foodbank. “I’ve barely got £40 ($50, 47 euros) by the time I’ve paid everything out, so I imagine families are struggling in more ways,” he said. Simon Jackson, 43, an unemployed former supermarket worker who is accessing long-term government sickness benefits, has been a foodbank user since February.

“It is a tougher time at the minute… the cost of living’s skyrocketed to a point of we’re having to use foodbanks a bit more,” he said. Jackson currently gets around £900 a month in various government support payments but, like Carroll, once his bills are paid, there is little left over for food. Rising prices are