THE comedian Henning Wehn once said: "Charity is a failure of governments’ responsibilities." It is becoming increasingly clear that the cost-of-living crisis has drastically altered the landscape of everyday life for many people. A House of Commons survey of food banks in the UK revealed that of the 93% of organisations which recorded a recent increase in clients, 95% attributed this rise to the cost of living crisis.

Despite this dramatic surge in the number of clients requiring support, food banks are, as ever, stepping up to the mark to fill the gaps in society left by poverty. Households are already having to choose between heating and eating, and as the temperature drops, the disparity between what families can earn and what they need to survive will only increase. Although food banks are unable to help with fuel costs, their staff work tirelessly to ensure that the communities they serve can access food. I spoke to Liz and Ryan, from Drumchapel food bank, and they kindly took the time to discuss their vital work, and the ways in which people can best support their local food banks.

Often people want to donate to food banks but aren’t sure what the best way might be to go about doing so. When donating, it is best to consider what you might find most useful to help feed yourself and your family. If you want to ensure your donation is appropriate and useful, phoning to ask what items a food bank is in need of can help ensure that your donation fits the criteria and can be used to best serve the community. Staff might have a list of things they might be in particular need of, or already have enough of. Diversifying the products you donate can help in the creation of well-rounded food parcels, but make sure not to donate out of date items, products without a clearly marked date, or anything that has already been opened or used. Check to see if your local food bank has the facilities to accept fresh or frozen items, as many do not. Depending on staff training and donation protocol, food which requires refrigeration such as meat or ready meals can present both a health risk for clients and a liability for food banks as in many cases, banks cannot guarantee that meat has been stored in a safe way before donation.

Being able to take care of yourself and your personal hygiene contributes massively to good mental health, and physical wellbeing, so everyday essential toiletries such as deodorant, toothpaste and soap make great donations as they are items people often forgo buying in order to save essential money to heat their homes and feed their families. The impact that poverty can have upon mental health is well-documented; in recent research done by the Mental Health foundation on Scottish students, over 25% of those who reported food insecurity were also experiencing severe symptoms of depression. Especially at this time of year, when mental health issues can be exacerbated, poverty will preclude many from being able to enjoy gift-giving or festive fun. Adding a donation of items like chocolate or sweets which can be included in food parcels as extras or given to children may not seem like a lot but can go a long way towards boosting someone’s mood.

Food banks do not just provide their clients with food, they can also help signpost helpful local resources, such as mental health, addiction support and debt management advice. They can provide a real sense of community, and some are even in a position to offer food delivery for their most vulnerable clients. Time is also an incredibly valuable resource which you can donate to your local food bank, so consider calling them or checking out their social media to see if they are in need of volunteers to help continue their vital work. If volunteering isn’t an option for you, direct financial donations are accepted, and are sometimes preferable as they do not have a shelf life and can be used by staff to purchase necessary items in times where donations are not as readily available.

Just Fair, a charitable organisation which champions human rights, asserts that due to the UK’s ratification of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) they are legally responsible to uphold all aspects of this treaty, including articles 11(1) and 11(2), the former of which outlines the right to an adequate standard of living, and the latter recognising the fundamental human right to be free from hunger. Just Fair states that the signing of this treaty "obliges State Parties (i.e. those countries that have voluntarily agreed to be bound by the treaty) to take steps in this regard, including the improvement of methods of distribution of food, and dissemination of knowledge concerning the principles of nutrition". That so many people should be reliant on independent food banks, and that those food banks should be reliant on charitable donations from the community, demonstrates the extent to which the obligations outlined within the treaty have yet to be met, and highlights the work left to be done.

Due to the discrepancy between inflation and wage increases across many professional sectors, there has been a rise in the number of clients accessing the services of their local food bank despite being in partial or even full-time employment. Aileen Campbell writes within the Scottish Government’s document on food insecurity and poverty, ‘The evidence has long been clear that food insecurity is driven primarily by lack of income. Low pay, insecure work, and inadequate and unreliable social security provision mean that people can often be unable to put food on the table.’ Financial crises and uncertainty can happen to anyone at any point in their lives; the Drumchapel food bank reported that in just one day, they helped 107 families access food.

There is no shame in accessing help from food banks: the only shame lies with a system which relies upon charity fulfilling its moral and legal obligation to end food insecurity. Ultimately the best thing we can all do to help support our local food bank is to render them obsolete by ensuring we elect those with the interests of people, not profit, in mind.

Thank you to the Drumchapel Food Bank for their time, and to all food banks for the tireless work they do.

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