Cost of Living Crisis Impacting Most Vulnerable in Society

As the cost of food, fuel, clothes, travel, & household bills continues to rise, the cost of living crisis sets in even further, affecting the most vulnerable in our society, according to the results of a new survey released by FareShare.

Though costs rise for everyone, it is invariably those who have the least income, and therefore the least disposable income, that suffer the most and struggle to put food on their table, keep their houses warm, and clothe their children.

Coupled with loss of work due to the pandemic, the crisis is affecting more and more people with nearly half of all children in the UK set to be living in families that will struggle to meet the cost of some basic necessities. This means that more people are accessing the services of charities and community groups that can assist with the distribution of food, as well as help for other essentials.

FareShare’s recent survey highlights the impact on the most vulnerable. They surveyed 1,200 charities and community groups, all of whom rely on food from FareShare to feed more than 120,000 people at risk of hunger.

65% of respondents (charities & community groups) said that they have people accessing their services due to the increase in the cost of food; 52% say that people come to them because of the cost of energy bills; 63% help people who have experienced changes to their Universal Credit; 60% due to unemployment; and 54% serve people who are in work but receive low pay.

Lindsay Boswell, FareShare CEO said: “Our survey of our charity network illustrates the impact that price rises, and the cost of living crisis is having on communities across the UK. With predictions that inflation is set to rise yet further, the ongoing impact that the conflict in Ukraine is having and expected tax rises, it is clear that many families – who faced furlough and uncertainty during the pandemic, are now experiencing added difficult hardship. Demand for our food is as high as it’s ever been. That’s why we’ve launched our new campaign, #RunningonEmpty, to highlight the difficult circumstances that many families are facing across the UK and are calling for more support for those struggling to feed themselves, and more donations of food from across the food industry to help meet that need."

Around the country, initiatives continue to pop-up with the aim of helping to feed people who may not be able to afford enough food for themselves and their families. Feed the Hungry have partnered with Warwickshire County Council to turn an old St John’s Ambulance into a mobile food pantry that will give visit certain locations and give the opportunity for residents to access food as well as advice from Citizen’s Advice among other organisations.

In Sheffield, a new monthly community meal has been launched to address food waste, food poverty, and community cohesion. Meals are created by volunteers using surplus food which would have otherwise been thrown away, and they run on a ‘contribute what you can’t basis, with a suggested minimum donation, but also on the understanding that people will not be turned away should they have no money.

For more information on food poverty and its causes and possible solutions, take a look at our previous blogs.