Warnings that foodbank use could reach 'record high' without government support
Foodbanks in Kent says new people are needing support on a weekly basis
People who once donated to a food bank in Kent are now turning to it for support, its project manager has said, as national projections warn of record numbers at risk of needing emergency food.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio Kent, Swale Foodbank project manager Esther said the service is seeing new people needing help every week.
She said demand has increased over recent years as living costs have put pressure on households, although the food bank is not as busy as it was at the beginning of the cost of living crisis.
It comes as anti-poverty charity Trussell estimates around 9.1 million people across the UK could experience severe hardship in the year to March 2029.
The projection covers people at risk of needing a food bank, rather than the number who will actually use one.
Esther told us she was not surprised by the national warning:
"I wish it wasn't true.
"I wish I felt surprised by that, but I'm not because we are seeing so many people who are needing our help.
"Many people who once used to donate to us are now needing our help. And so when they come through the doors of our food bank centres, they're often in tears and they're the ones saying, 'no, no, I'm the one who donates to your food bank. How can I be here?'
"And coming to terms with that, that they're now in the position that they want to help those people.
"I think all of that plays into this potential 9 million people who'll be needing food bank support in the next few years."
Alongside the immediate need for food, she described the emotional pressure of unpaid bills, debt and uncertainty about how to feed a family.
Esther said people can feel shame and embarrassment when visiting a food bank for the first time, adding to any existing mental health difficulties.
Support beyond emergency food
Swale Foodbank works with local and national organisations to help address the circumstances behind someone’s need for emergency food.
The aim, Esther said, is to help people reach a position where they don't have to rely on the foodbank:
"You're often the first that speak to someone, the first ones, because food is like an emergency. Everyone knows it, you know, if you haven't got food in your cupboards, you're in trouble.
"And the other things can be hidden for a while, if you're in debt with your electric, your gas or your water or whatever, that can be hidden for a while.
"But when you've run out of money for food, that's something that you can't hide from. And you've only got 24 hours before things start reaching crisis point, particularly when you've got children or pets who are going to keep on harassing you for food that you haven't got to give them.
"And so I think that's why we tend to be the first that people come to. And it's a great privilege, I must say, I love my job.
"I love what we get to do because we get to see people on their worst days and then we get to see them coming out on the other side of that. And I think that's an incredible privilege that we have. And we do still see success stories even in this troubled time."
Despite the pressures, Esther said the team still sees people becoming able to manage independently again.
Millions could face severe hardship nationally
Trussell’s modelling, carried out by WPI Economics, estimates 6.2 million adults and 2.9 million children could experience severe hardship in 2028/29.
The total would exceed the previous estimated high of 9.07 million in 2025/26.
The projections use forecasts for earnings growth, social security payments and rents, and take account of policies including the removal of the two-child benefit limit and increases to universal credit.
Trussell estimates just under nine million people could face severe hardship in the year to March 2027, followed by a little over nine million in the following 12 months.
Earlier this year, the charity reported a 12% fall in food parcels distributed in 2025 compared with 2024, which it attributed to slower increases in essential costs and fewer people losing their jobs.
However, Trussell’s director of policy and research Helen Barnard warned rising costs, particularly energy bills, could leave more people struggling to afford food and heating.
Ahead of next week’s Budget, she called on the Government to renew Labour’s manifesto promise to end the need for emergency food and make it a measurable goal in its 10-year plan to raise living standards.
The Government has been contacted for comment.