Aberdeenshire North Foodbank handed out 8,650 emergency food parcels in the past year – an increase of 14% and its most ever.
The foodbank’s Fraserburgh centre issued an extra 500 parcels in the last year, a rise of more than 34%.
Aberdeenshire North Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust’s network, which has reported record levels of need in the last 12 months.
Almost three million (2,986,203) emergency food parcels have been provided to people between April 2022 and March 2023 across the UK, with more than a million of these provided for children.
Nearly 260,000 of the total was in Scotland and the Trussell Trust has joined with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in urging the UK Government to embed in law an “Essentials Guarantee”.
The charity said this would ensure Universal Credit payments would always, at a minimum, provide enough to cover the cost of essentials such as food, utilities and vital household goods.
Cost of living crisis ‘extremely challenging’
Aberdeenshire North Foodbank project manager Shona Singer said: “The difficulties being faced by many of the people who visit our foodbank are extremely challenging.
“They are cutting back absolutely everything, making every saving possible and accessing all available financial help and guidance, but it still isn’t enough. These cases are no longer rare or isolated and there are far too many who do not have enough to cover the essentials.
“We are seeing more and more people forced into debt to heat their homes and feed their families and that’s why Universal Credit must cover the essentials at the bare minimum – to help us end the need for food banks in Scotland.”
Aberdeenshire North Foodbank covers the Banff and Buchan, Buchan, Formartine, Garioch and Marr (Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford) areas of Aberdeenshie.
It has foodbank centres in Ellon, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Inverurie and Peterhead.
The Press and Journal and Evening Express has been working to tackle food poverty by raising awareness of the help available.
Our Big Food Appeal aims to dispel some of the myths around access to foodbanks and the help that is available.
Conversation