Lichfield Foodbank has received pledges of support from all major parties ahead of the local elections.
The organisation wrote to all candidates asking them to help deliver on plans to end the need for emergency food aid in the city by 2025.
It comes as figures reveal that in the year ending 31st March, more than 10,000 food parcels were distributed across the Lichfield District Council area by food banks.
The figure is double the previous year and is the second highest in the region behind only city of Stoke-on-Trent.
Lichfield Foodbank’s chair, Verity Ashley, said:
“This shouldn’t be happening in any city in a country as wealthy as the UK, but the situation in Lichfield in particular is getting worse every year.”
“Food banks are a ‘sticking plaster’ over the real issues causing poverty and destitution. Everyone is entitled to the dignity of being able to buy their own food, having sufficient money to pay their essential bills.
“We don’t want people in our city to need a food bank by 2025, and we will work with statutory, voluntary, community, faith and political groups across the spectrum to make this happen – and to make ourselves redundant.
“I would like to thank those candidates who have pledged their support. Whichever political party has overall control come 5th May, they have agreed to support us end the need for food banks in Lichfield.
“We hope that the elected candidates, along with the rest of the community, can come together and make a difference for all the people who will – for now – continue to need our services.”
Verity Ashley, Lichfield Foodbank
People can find out more about how to donate at www.lichfield.foodbank.org.uk.
Without being a Luddite there are developments of great significance which can only exacerbate the problems of future work prospects, and hence the ability to feed and support families. We are already experiencing the loss of manufacturing and the influence of robotics on employment.
A still greater threat is the emerging Artificial Intelligence applications which will replace many existing jobs. Rather than removing the need for social support this can only increase it.
Google’s head of research resigned today expressing grave reservations. There are, of course, many other ramifications from such developments.
Pandora’s Box is open and there is no going back, but I suspect many more of us will need food banks in the coming years.
The recent resignation of a Google exec coupled with the ongoing development of AI and smart tech linking to the increase in food bank usage in Lichfield is a very interesting theory. A bit stretched maybe but perhaps this is the butterfly wing effect in action?
The increasing need by people for food banks is caused by austerity and the cost of living crisis. It can’t be solved by local politicians/ councillors or councils. The cost of living crisis has been inflicted on the UK by the Conservative party. A party of which current local Conservative candidates are all members of. The answer is patently clear. Tories & Labour need to acknowledge the error of Brexit inflicted on us all. We must get renewed access to the Single Market and Customs Union as soon as possible. Wage increases need to be close to inflation. We have a government that does not serve 99% of us. An MP who does not serve most of us. The divide between haves & have nots has never been greater. Biggest fall in standard of living since records began apparently. Electoral system feeds the greedy MPs & no-one else. NHS on its knees being sold off to USA by Tories. Vote Tory that’s what you get. We have almost nothing now. Sewage in our waters.
I’m a social care professional and I think the best thing to help tackle this issue is a multi-agency approach. I have sat in food banks (out of area) with groups of professionals from other areas such a mental health services, occupational therapy, benefit services and when we work this way and make ourselves more approachable we really can support people and ensure that they have the services they are entitled to. It’s surprising how many people, especially the elderly, are not receiving any support or the correct benefits at this time. I wish our government and local council would get their act together and fund/support projects like this locally and nationwide. The fact that they turn a blind after seeing the profits energy companies such as BP have just announced(look it up), frankly, sickens me.