The Truth of Foodbanks

The Truth of Foodbanks 

Myths vs Truth  

Across the UK there is estimated to be over 2,000 foodbanks supporting people in need. There are also a lot of misconceptions and myths around foodbanks and the people who receive support from them, which ultimately leads to a lot of stigma and stereo typing.  

Here at Eastern Valley foodbank, we believe in supporting anyone in crisis who need extra support. Working in partnership with the trussell trust one of our aims is ‘To restore dignity and hope.’  

Common Myths vs the truth  

“Anyone can walk in and get food from foodbanks”.  

Truth- This is not entirely true. Foodbanks provide support to those in need but through a referral-based system. We work alongside agencies to who will give referrals to those who need it then we can provide a food parcel which will give individuals or families enough food for 3 days. We can also work with the families/ individual to provide support with other agencies we work with to help them get out of crisis.  

“Foodbanks always have lots of stock” 

While some of our posted photos may see like we have plenty of stock this is not the case. The stock of donations we have are constantly going out of our distribution centres to people and families in need, which means we are always in need of more donations.  

We rely on donations from businesses, churches, schools and the public to provide support to those in need.  

“You can’t use a food bank if you work”  

This isn’t true. We receive referrals to our foodbank from people who are in work. Having a job doesn’t always mean having enough to cover rent, bills, and food.
Low wages, zero-hour contracts, childcare costs, and the ongoing rise of living expenses can all leave working individuals and families struggling to make ends meet. 

Here at Eastern Valley Foodbank, we support anyone in need who comes through our referral system — no matter their employment status.  

“Foodbanks are just about giving food.” 

While foodbanks primarily provide emergency food parcels to people in crisis, we also work closely with a number of local agencies and organisations to offer additional support.  

This support helps those in need to get out of crisis and move towards a more stable future. 

We offer a comprehensive financial inclusion and wellbeing programme. This includes debt help, benefit checks and funded counselling as well as drop-in sessions from housing support. 

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