Plight of the families who rely on food parcels

Edwina Currie may deny it, but the terrible truth is that Britain today, many people have to choose between eating and paying rent

"Do you mean people in this country suffer from hunger Really Really?" Requested one Edwina Currie Radio 5 listeners recently - and said he "was really very difficult" to believe that people in Britain without food

According to former Conservative minister, are not "real" the world's hungry, but not in the UK.

Sean Clarke and Mandi, who live with their daughters Jade and Jasmine in the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire, disagree. Clarke's house, the money is so strong that they have food packages based on their local food bank, not once but several times this year. "We would have beans on toast at Christmas if not for the food bank," says Mandi. Instead, you get a box of meat pie, cheese and biscuits, chocolate, Christmas cake, chips, dates and canned ham.

The first time I received a Christmas box Mandi cried with relief. "We had to choose between paying for food, heat or rent," she said. "Thanks to the food basket, we could sit and eat together as a family for the first time in weeks. We were told that the children ate when he went to bed, but the reality is that it will not. "

food banks were launched in 2000 by the Trussell Trust, and the request for assistance has exploded in the past year. Currently there are 163 food banks across the country, with more than a week opening in 2011.

people who have no money to buy food are referred to by local doctors, Citizens Advice, social workers, charities, and liaison officers of the school. Each person or family is entitled to three tickets at once, and each voucher can be exchanged for a bag of food emergency that lasts three days.

Although Currie's claims, there are many people in Britain on the need for such assistance. Salisbury Food Bank alone has seen an increase of 600 people seeking help in the years 2011, 3300-3900 -. An increase of 18%

-. This increase is typical food banks have been around longer increased from 15% to 30% since the beginning of the recession

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Chris, CEO of the Foundation Trussell said the charity food bank feeding 130,000 people in 2011/12, but says that the country really needs about 1,000 food banks to ensure the most people access to. Charity funding needs of 1.6 million pounds to implement, train volunteers and maintain the quality of 445 food banks in 2015, aiming to feed 450,000 people a year.

Rising middle class people who need help is in the young -. Most of them receive no state aid, following the lines of the education maintenance allowance in January 2011

• Food Bank Salisbury, Mark Ward said: "We have children at university come in. You can live at home, but parents have problems, or be a couch surfing - living in houses of friends. "
• crisis are also encouraged by the delay or interruption of benefit payments or rejection of loans from the bottom of the social crisis. It can take months or one year for an appeal against a decision of the benefits, but the applicant also to survive in the meantime.

Even when benefits are granted, it may take several weeks for the money to get by. A woman who was eight months pregnant, was reduced in the rays of burning to keep warm.

Ward said. "We helped a woman in her 20s, who is paying only ? 30 per fortnight in benefits They know it's wrong, but can not be resolved at the January 6. She survived five or six weeks without the money owed at the time. There seems to be no mercy in the system. "

basic food packages consist canned or dried food is wrong. Sean said: "We used the food bank to supplement the fresh food we can afford to buy bread, milk, vegetables and ground beef to go with the canned tomatoes, pasta and rice bank food .. "
At noon on the Thursday before Christmas, the food bank in Salisbury is busy. Volunteers are packing bags, food control against a list. Many are aimed at people sent to the local Jobcentre.

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