Why You Shouldn’t Feel Shame if You Need a Food Bank at Christmas

As Christmas approaches, we are often bombarded with images of abundance: laden tables, glittering gifts, and a season of joy shared with loved ones. 

Yet, for many people, this time of year brings heightened anxiety and pressure, particularly around the cost of food. 

If you find yourself needing to rely on a food bank, it’s important to know that this doesn’t reflect a personal failure.

Here’s why you should never feel ashamed if you need to turn to a food bank during Christmas or at any other time of year:

1. The Rising Cost of Living

The cost of living in the UK has been steadily rising, especially in recent years. With increased energy bills, higher rents, and inflation driving up the price of basic necessities, many households are struggling to make ends meet. Christmas places additional financial strain on families, with the pressure to provide festive meals and gifts. Needing extra help during this season is a reflection of broader economic challenges, not your individual circumstances.

2. Food Banks Are There to Help

Food banks exist to provide support to people in times of need. They are a compassionate response to hunger and food insecurity, created with the understanding that sometimes life throws unexpected challenges our way. Whether it’s a sudden job loss, illness, or another financial crisis, food banks are there to make sure people don’t go hungry when times are tough. There’s no shame in accepting help that’s intended for people in your position.

3. You Are Not Alone

It’s easy to feel isolated when you’re struggling, but you’re not alone. Recent statistics show that food bank usage in the UK continues to rise, with hundreds of thousands of people turning to them every year. The demand for food banks increases particularly during the Christmas period. Knowing that others are in similar situations can help to ease feelings of shame or stigma. These challenges affect many people, and there’s no need to suffer in silence.

4. Christmas Should Be About Compassion, Not Consumerism

Christmas is often portrayed as a time for extravagant spending, but the true spirit of the holiday is about kindness, generosity, and community. Whether you celebrate the religious or cultural aspects of Christmas, it’s a season that emphasises compassion and giving. The materialistic pressures of modern Christmas can obscure that, but turning to a food bank reflects the spirit of seeking and receiving help from a caring community – something we all deserve in difficult times.

5. Shame Is a Barrier to Receiving Support

One of the most damaging effects of shame is that it prevents people from accessing the help they need. Feeling ashamed for needing a food bank might stop you from seeking support, making things even harder. There’s no merit in struggling alone when help is available. By accepting the assistance of a food bank, you are giving yourself and your family the chance to enjoy a more stress-free Christmas.

6. Your Worth Is Not Defined by Your Financial Situation

It’s crucial to remember that your worth as a person is not tied to your financial situation. Hard times can happen to anyone, and they don’t diminish your value or the love you deserve from those around you. Needing a food bank is a temporary circumstance, not a reflection of your character or ability. What matters is how you care for yourself and your loved ones during difficult times, and seeking help is a brave and responsible step.

7. Food Banks Are Part of a Bigger Social Safety Net

Food banks aren’t just about charity; they are a vital part of the social safety net. They exist because our society recognises that the current systems in place often fail to protect people from hunger and poverty. Accessing a food bank is not about weakness; it’s about seeking the support that everyone has a right to during hard times. As a society, we should continue to advocate for better systems that reduce reliance on food banks, but until then, it’s perfectly okay to use them when you need to.

Conclusion: Be Kind to Yourself

If you find yourself needing to visit a food bank this Christmas, please remember that there’s nothing shameful about accepting help. Life is unpredictable, and sometimes we all need a little extra support. The most important thing is to ensure you and your family are cared for. Be kind to yourself this Christmas, and know that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

This Christmas, let’s focus on kindness, community, and the true spirit of giving – and that includes being gentle with ourselves when we need a helping hand.

https://www.trussell.org.uk

Trussell Trust reveals new figures on emergency food parcel needs. Learn how you can help

New figures released by the Trussell Trust showed 1.5 million emergency food parcels were provided to people between April and September 2023 by food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network. This is the most parcels the network's ever distributed at this point in the year and represents a 16% increase from the same period in 2022.

Low incomes, especially from social security, debt, health conditions and issues with social security payments such as delays or sanctions were the main reasons people were left with no option but to turn to food banks for help.

A record 540,000 food parcels were provided for over 265,000 children living in families who couldn't afford the essentials. That's an 11% increase compared to the same period last year, reflecting the continuing rise in need for the support provided by food banks.

The new data also revealed 65% of all the parcels provided by Trussell Trust food banks between April and September this year were for families with children.

Furthermore, the charity has reported an alarming 320,000 people have needed to use a food bank for the first time in the past six months, warning food banks are at ‘breaking point’ as more people in communities across the UK find themselves unable afford the essentials.

The Trussell Trust believe the situation is unlikely to change in the coming months with this stark new data leading them to forecast that food banks in their network will distribute more than a million emergency food parcels between December 2023 and February 2024 – the equivalent of providing a parcel every eight seconds this winter.

Jess Holliday, Deputy CEO at Eastbourne Foodbank said: “At Eastbourne Foodbank, our donations are down even as need remains very high. We are deeply concerned about the alarming rise in the number of children needing our support. 

"Last month, 633 of the food parcels we provided were for children. Day after day, people tell us they simply don’t have enough money to buy the basics. A client told me, ‘I have sold my car. I have sold everything and cut everything out. But that’s still not enough. All I want is enough money to pay the basic bills and have some left to buy my own food.'”

In order to reduce these relentless levels of need, the Trussell Trust is calling on the UK Government to use the upcoming Autumn Statement to build on its work to protect households on the lowest incomes.

Emma Revie, CEO of the Trussell Trust said: “These statistics are extremely alarming. An increasing number of children are growing up in families facing hunger, forced to turn to food banks to survive. A generation is growing up believing it’s normal to see a food bank in every community. This isn't right.

“Rising hunger and hardship have devastating consequences for individuals and our communities, damage the nation’s health and hold back our economy. People in work, as well as people who cannot work, are increasingly being pushed into debt and forced to turn to a food bank to survive.

“That’s why the UK Government must build on its work to protect people from increasingly severe hardship and commit to putting an Essentials Guarantee into legislation, to embed in our social security system the widely supported principle that, at a minimum, Universal Credit should protect people from going without essentials."

The Trussell Trust is encouraging people to show their support for people facing hardship by signing a petition urging UK political party leaders to support the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee to ensure that the basic rate of Universal Credit at least covers life’s essentials, such as food and bills.

That's Christmas believes that the spirit of Christmas must be with us all year round. So if you can offer any help to your local foodbank, please do so. Even if it's buying a couple of extra items of food during your regular shopping trips and donating these, as everything helps.

Also, supermarkets such as Morrisons and Tesco offer special schemes to help to ensure food gets to people in need, so do look out for these.

To learn more about The Trussell Trust please visit them here:- https://www.trusselltrust.org