How to find food banks and community shops this summer

Image source, Trinity Foodbank Radcliffe

Tina Harrison checks the Trinity Foodbank's Facebook page every morning to see if there is any new information. She says that more and more people are getting in touch to say they have run out of food and need help.

One of Mrs. Harrison's fellow volunteers will reply. Some form of assistance is offered to everyone.

Is it okay to come and get a food parcel? Mrs Harrison says it's always "Yes, it's OK". The food bank gave out around 20 parcels a week before the swine flu. In the last few years, that figure has more than doubled.

"It's going to get worse, I think, because some parents have told me that they sit in bed with their kids to keep warm," says Mrs Harrison.

People from all walks of life are feeling the effects of the rising cost of food and energy. It could be difficult for households with children.

While many local authorities are launching holiday meal voucher or cash payment schemes, some children won't have as easy access to food during the day. The policy of not giving free school meals to children in England during the holidays was changed during the Pandemic.

Teaching unions argue that the offer of these meals should be extended because of the cost of living crisis.

The financial hardship facing many families is prompting more of them to approach their local food bank or community support network. Many are contacting each other via social media.

Image source, Getty Images

Mrs Harrison says that Trinity Foodbank doesn't just offer food. Friendly help and advice is available about how to budget and claim grants.

The Independent Food Aid Network has produced pamphlets with financial advice for people in need. There are interactive versions on the internet.

When you have a problem like this, you come up with as many ways as possible to reach people.

The drop in support for food banks has led them to use social media. They run out of food a lot of the time. People who support their local food bank have been hit by the rising cost of food.

Image source, Ifan and Mary Turner

Mark Wells is the founder of the Food Facts Friends food bank. He uses Facebook to post pictures of the bare shelves in the food bank store in an effort to raise money.

He says he has set up an account with the video sharing site. Mr Wells wants young people to find videos of the food bank's fare and show their parents so they know what's available.

Brooke Bennett is the director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health at the University of Connecticut.

She and colleagues asked summer meal providers how they advertised to families in Connecticut. They reported higher online engagement and more in-person visitors when they posted photos of their food.

A small fee is paid to promote these posts. Dr Bennett says that you can target an audience in your area.

Image source, Salma Gudaf

During the October half-term holiday when free school meals aren't available, the Food Foundation launched a map to show the locations of businesses that offer free meals.

Over 50,000 people visited the map. The Foundation says that there are no plans to put this map back together.

There are other local tools that can be used to find out what help is available nearby. The places of food clubs and community shops are shown.

Naomi Maynard is the good food programme director. Giving people the knowledge of what's in their area is so empowering.

She notes that users are able to search for providers that cater to their specific needs.

Georgiana Nica-Avram notes that digital platforms are not a panacea for food insufficiency. It is possible for people to access support in a dignified way.

She says that not many people would want to publicly acknowledge that they are going through this on their own.

In partnership with the food sharing app Olio, Dr Nica-Avram and colleagues have studied how some people use Olio to support themselves during times of severe hardship

There is no doubt that the coming months will be very hard for many families. Mrs Harrison notes that many parents at Trinity Foodbank mention their concerns about the upcoming winter and high heating costs.

The government knows that millions of households are struggling with rising prices.

The programme runs during school holidays.

The Household Support Fund helps vulnerable families with essentials such as food and utility bills. There is a huge amount of public money available to help households during the cost of living crisis.

Mrs Harrison and her fellow volunteers are determined to provide whatever help they can, even though they are under a lot of pressure to give.

She thinks we are just riding with the times, like we did with Covid.