Food banks handed out fewer packages in Test Valley last year, according to new figures, with demand for emergency parcels falling below pre-pandemic levels.

The Trussell Trust, a charity tackling poverty in the UK, supports the country’s largest network of food banks.

Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, they have seen a dramatic increase in the number of emergency food parcels handed out to those in need nationally.

But figures from the charity suggest food bank use fell below pre-pandemic levels in Test Valley last year.

READ MORE: Campaign headed by Enham Alamein postmaster raises £250,000 for food bank charity

The Trussell Trust’s distribution centres handed out 5,663 emergency food parcels to people in Test Valley in the year to March – down from 6,645 the year before, and a decrease of 6 per cent on the 6,034 provided in the year to March 2020, before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, due to a growing number of independent food banks and the existing work of other organisations and charities, the Trussell Trust warns that its figures do not show the full extent of food poverty in the UK.

The charity typically hands out emergency packages containing three days’ worth of food. Since the start of the pandemic, it has also started providing supplies in seven-day packages, in response to growing need and to limit the number of deliveries.

Across the South East, 258,138 parcels were handed out by the region’s 197 distribution centres in the year to March.

SEE ALSO: People with arthritis urged to lose weight and exercise in new NHS plan

The Trussell Trust warned that food bank use has accelerated in the past six months, as the rising cost of basic amenities has hit people’s pockets.

Emma Revie, chief executive of the charity, said: “People are telling us they’re skipping meals so they can feed their children. That they are turning off essential appliances so they can afford internet access for their kids to do their homework.

“How can this be right in a society like ours? And yet food banks in our network tell us this is only set to get worse as their communities are pushed deeper into financial hardship.

“No one’s income should fall so dangerously low that they cannot afford to stay fed, warm and dry.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from your area by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.