There has been an alarming increase in the number of people in Derry depending on food banks to feed their families, it has been revealed.
Rotary Foyle, organisers of one facility in the city, has said around 10 emergency food parcels have been handed out every day since opening in May.
SDLP Foyle MP Mark Durkan said the number of food banks and people using them had risen in Derry and across “these islands” as people found it “harder and harder” to cope as the cost of living rose while benefits and wages were squeezed or frozen.
Mr Durkan, a member of recently formed All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty and Food, the “telling figures” revealed by Rotary were a symptom of the poverty levels which were hurting people in Derry and elsewhere.
He added: “The number of food banks and the numbers using them have risen across these islands as people find it harder and harder to cope as the cost of living rises while benefits and wages are squeezed or frozen.
“This does not only impact those who are out of work. It is the ‘working poor’ and households who have low and marginal incomes who are also using food banks – including those hit by particular bills at particular times, or for example because of an illness in the family.
“As we approach the winter months with people having to pay heavier fuel bills to keep their homes warm, that is also going to mean less money for food.
“As a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty and Food (which we formed during this parliament) I have heard from food bank operators of the different factors and features in food bank use.”
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