The summer holidays are just a couple of weeks away now, and lots of us will be looking forward to a break from school and hopefully some sunshine.

But this time of year can be really stressful for families facing food poverty or food insecurity, who worry about how they will afford to feed their children, keep them busy and avoid going into debt.

Staff and volunteers at Renfrewshire Foodbank, who receive the donations handed in to our collection point on Tuesdays, tell us they see more families at their distribution centres through the summer holidays – and that parents will often skip meals themselves to ensure their children don’t go hungry.

Senior Manager at Renfrewshire Foodbank, Crystal Clayton, explains: “Everything is getting tighter for families and that means something has to give.

“We definitely see more families coming to Foodbank through the summer and parents are going without themselves to make sure their children don’t go without while the schools are off.

“In the past we’ve had people come to us and say that they’ve not eaten for two or three days because it was a case of buying food or paying the bills. People don’t want to get into debt because that comes with a lot of other problems too.”

Worryingly, Renfrewshire Foodbank, which is part of the Trussell Trust network, has seen a drop in donations across the board.

“It’s the simple fact that the cost of everything has gone up again and people who could afford to donate more regularly now can’t because they run the risk of pushing themselves into a situation where they will also struggle,” explains Crystal.

She wants to encourage more people to consider donating Just One Thing – rather than feeling they have to buy a whole bag of shopping.

“It’s really simple but, if everyone puts just one thing in to the Foodbank Collection each week it’s enough for us to keep ticking over,” she says.

“We really need support from our local communities to make sure that children aren’t going hungry over the summer holidays.

“It’s all about community: if we work together, hopefully we can alleviate the stresses and struggles that people face and work towards a solution that means foodbanks are no longer needed.”

 

DID YOU KNOW..?

More than 262,400 emergency food parcels were distributed by foodbanks in Scotland in 2023/24

35% of households referred to foodbanks in the Trussell Trust network in Scotland (which includes Renfrewshire Foodbank) are living with children under 16

16% of people referred to a foodbank in the Trussell Trust network are in a working household

73% of people referred to foodbanks in the Trussell Trust networks in Scotland are disabled, compared to 31% across the general population of Scotland

Please check our Facebook page,  facebook.com/houstonkillellankirk,  for an up-to-date list of the items that are most needed by Renfrewshire Foodbank.

Thank you very much for your continuing support – together we can make a difference.