Food banks aren’t solving problems — they can make things worse too

This article was corrected. Originally it stated that ‘This tiny organisation doesn’t run a single food bank – it merely advises church and community groups on how to’. But the copy has been changed to reflect the reality of the Trust’s work. The Trussell Trust has responded here.

The Trussell Trust is having a field day. This tiny organisation which runs a food bank in Salisbury and advises and supports a network of over 400 food banks nationwide says there has been a 170% increase in people using food banks in the last 12 months. Of course; that’s because there are more food banks. As anyone with their wits about them can grasp, if you increase the free supply of something worth having, you’ll have takers queuing at the door.

Food bank usage is being equated to poverty. The data are being used as a stick to beat the government, often by well-meaning groups who want to ‘do something’ to help.