Many British families today cannot even afford food, as the coronavirus pandemic has robbed them of their jobs and livelihoods.
An increasing number of UK citizens are turning to local food banks for help, counting on free food, Reuters reports. This is a consequence of rising unemployment in the country, as many companies had to close due to the pandemic.
“I worked part-time as a cleaner in the evenings, and then, when COVID-19 started, we were left without work, because everything was closed, and our offices would not open until 2021, because people can work from home”, – 40-year-old Vilma told the reporters while queuing at the food bank.
The latest official data last month showed that the UK unemployment rate rose to 4.8% and employers laid off a record number of employees in the third quarter.
The Bank of England predicts that the unemployment rate will reach 8% by the middle of next year, despite the fact that the government has extended the program to subsidize jobs until the end of March.
The Trussell Trust, a charity that operates hundreds of food banks across Britain, predicts that workload will rise 61% between October and December. Those benefactors will hand over 6 food packages per minute to those in need.
“If you look at what has happened over the past seven months, you will notice that the lines have become significantly longer”, – said Alexander Shahid Khan, a volunteer at the London Food Bank.
He also noticed that the contingent had changed. Whole families in poverty are now seeking help.
“You can definitely see that the effects of COVID-19 have led to many people now suffering from income and food poverty”, – the volunteer added.
The government notes that the authorities will provide 400 million pounds [548 million dollars] as part of the package of state support for the population. However, the program does not fully provide citizens with finances.
“The ideal would be for the government to obviously increase all payments they [citizens] receive each week to a reasonable amount so that they don’t need to then go to the food banks for help”, – said Sugar Beg, executive director of the charity. Tooting Community Kitchen.