Our vision
Our vision is for a UK without the need for food banks.
We support a nationwide network of food banks and together we provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty, and campaign for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.
Our impact
In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children. We support more than 1,200 food bank centres in the UK to provide a minimum of three days’ nutritionally-balanced emergency food to people who have been referred in crisis, as well as support to help people resolve the crises they face.
Between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2021, food banks in the Trussell Trust’s UK wide network distributed 5,100 emergency food parcels a day to people in crisis. This is an increase of 11% compared to the same period in 2019.
Alarmingly, families with children have been hit the hardest, with food parcels for children increasing at double the rate for adults. Between 1 April to 30 September 2021, almost 2,000 parcels were provided for children every day, compared to almost 1,700 in 2019.
Over the last couple of decades, food banks across the UK have provided incredible, practical support to people in poverty. The food banks in our network are extraordinary, and their response to need in their communities is inspiring.
But that kind of response shouldn’t be needed.
We stand on the edge of a precipice, with a clear decision to make: either we accept food banks as a ‘new normal’, or we work to create a more dignified, compassionate, and just society where everyone has enough money for the essentials.
Our priorities for the next five years
Our goal is a fairer society where nobody wonders where their next meal is coming from or must rely on the kindness of their community in order to put food on their table. We’ll be doing this in three ways:
- In Changing Communities, we’ll be working with food banks to reduce the need for their services locally, helping people to access targeted support that addresses the underlying reason for their crisis.
- In Changing Policy, we’ll be working alongside food banks and partners to provide stronger evidence of the drivers of extreme poverty (or ‘destitution’) and pushing for positive solutions that will help tackle these.
- In Changing Minds, we’ll be increasing levels of understanding and empathy amongst the general public, locally and UK-wide, to build a movement that is willing to take action to create a just and compassionate society without the need for food banks.
We want to ensure everyone can afford the essentials in life. We are working towards a compassionate, just society without the need for large-scale emergency food distribution.
People are at the heart of our mission
From the food banks in our network to the churches and communities across the UK, to the partner organisations who share our vision and people who have, and are experiencing extreme poverty – we know that achieving our goal is a team effort. We simply cannot realise the vision of a future without the need for food banks without working together.
Our vision is ambitious, but we know that if we work together it is possible. We can create a future where nobody goes hungry, because nobody will allow it – when we work Together for Change.
#TogetherForChange
