Nurses are among the professional people being forced to use food banks amid cost-of-living pressures.
Food Bank Aid, a charity which provides food and toiletries to 19 food banks across north London, says demand has increased by 34% since October.
Many of those turning to food banks work full-time jobs, but are still not earning enough to get by.
Ryan, a nurse in north London, said he began using foodbanks as “things got so difficult” he had no other option.
Ryan, who uses the ARC foodbank in St Paul St, Islington, added: “As a carer for my parents and my younger brother who has special needs, it’s just been so difficult to be able to survive.
“The food bank has provided me with food and toiletries, and it’s just taken a weight off my shoulders.”
Dalia Davis, CEO of Food Bank Aid, says stories like Ryan’s are becoming more and more commonplace.
She said: “The common theme we see is that working people are needing to use foodbanks even sometimes when they have two jobs and two incomes.
“At the moment it’s a perfect storm – there are cost-of-living pressures and the fallout from Covid, and these two things are coming together to create this huge, huge demand.”
Every week Food Bank Aid distributes more than 65,000 items to food banks supporting 14,000 people, including 4,000 children.
The charity makes use of 250 volunteers to operate.
Food Bank Aid volunteers enjoy an ice cream (Image: Food Bank Aid)
Food Bank Aid relies on 250 volunteers to operate (Image: Food Bank Aid)
Dalia said: “Sometimes supermarkets will deliver stuff to food banks but it’s not necessarily what they need.
“The food banks will speak to clients and give us their requirements and we deliver exactly what they need.”
“They call us the fairy godmother of food banks,” she added.
But to continue its work, Food Bank Aid says it needs to raise at least £1 million in the coming month.
To achieve this aim, the charity will hold a 36-hour fundraising event from March 19 until March 20.
Every donation that Food Bank Aid receives during the event will be doubled, as it has secured £500,000 of matched funding through a crowdfunding campaign.
To find out more visit foodbankaid.org.uk, or to help out visit www.charityextra.com/foodbankaid.
See the full list of food banks supported by food bank aid below.
Barnet
- All Saints Church, Childs Hill, Church Walk, NW2 2TJ
- Barnfield School, Silkstream Road, HA8 0DA
- Gift charity shop, 61-63 Watford Way, NW4 3AX
- Homeless Action in Barnet, 36B Woodhouse Road, N12 0RG
- St Barnabas, 913 High Road, N12 8QJ
- St. Marys Church, 279 High Road, East Finchley, N2 8HG
- Trinity Church Northwest Centrem Avion Crescent, Graham Park Way, NW9 5QY
- United Synagogue, 305 Ballards Lane, N12 8GB
Camden
- 28 Phoenix Road, NW1 1TA
Enfield
- The Ark, 500 Montague Road, Edmonton, N9 0UR
Haringey
- Bruce Grove Youth Centre, 10 Bruce Grove, Tottenham, N17 6RA
- Middle Lane Methodist Church, Corner of Lightfoot Road & Middle Lane, N8 7JN
- Selby Centre, Selby Road, Tottenham, N17 8JL
- Seven Sisters Primary School, South Grove, Tottenham, N15 5QE
- St Mary's, Hornsey Rise, Ashley Road, N19 3AD
- St Michaels Hall, 37 Bounds Green Road, N22 8HE
Islington
- People’s Army, 70 Gladsmuir Road, N19 3JU
- ARC, 98b Paul Street, N1 7DF
- The Old Laundry, Priory Green, N1 9DG
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