Telford Crisis Support appear on ITV's Good Morning Britain to support petition to PM
Telford Crisis Support made an appearance on Good Morning Britain to show support for a petition which could 'steady the ship' for food banks.
The volunteer-led organisation, which serves communities across Telford & Wrekin, appeared on ITV's wake-up show this morning in support of a signed letter to Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Staff at Telford Crisis Support, along with 3,000 volunteers across various organisations, have signed a petition to ask the Government to raise benefits in line with inflation.
The organisation wanted to show its support for The Independent Food Aid Network, the Trussell Trust and Feeding Britain, whose representatives were delivering the petition to Downing Street today.
But at the same time, the Telford food bank wanted to raise awareness of how busy it is at the moment, as well as the strain it is experiencing on resources.
Simon Lellow, operations manager at Telford Crisis Support, said: "It's difficult because the numbers for parcels are increasing significantly and donations are down because people are struggling themselves."
The organisation's mission is to ensure that no one in the borough goes without the basic essentials to keep themselves and their families sheltered, clean, fed, clothed, warm and healthy.
But Telford Crisis Support is party to the same costs as everyone else, Mr Lellow added, which is creating further challenges to day-to-day operations of the organisation.
Feed a Family:
"It's difficult. We are coping but it is more and more challenging as numbers increase and time goes on," he added.
The letter reads: "End the need for our services – charitable food aid is not the solution to financial hardship.
"Over the last decade, increasing numbers of people have been pushed to the doors of food banks and other charitable food aid providers because they haven’t got enough money to buy food and other essentials.
"Since the cut to Universal Credit in October 2021 and the deepening cost of living crisis, the need for charitable food aid has steadily increased, reaching unprecedented levels.
"People who were already unable to afford food are being hit the hardest by relentless rises in energy, food, and travel costs.
"Every day we meet people who are skipping meals so they can feed their children and turning off their cooker or fridge so they can cover other essential costs.
"People who used to donate to food banks are now needing to seek our support. And the next 12 months look bleaker still."
The letter goes on to point out that many of the organisations in the network are at 'breaking point', as the demand for food outweighs the food and financial donations it receives.
Commenting on the petition, Mr Lellow said: "It would steady the ship in terms of numbers going up.
"But if you look at the fuel prices that have effectively doubled, it's not going to stop the problem – but it will stem the growth. It won't fix anything in the long-run, but it would help stem the tide."
The organisation collects donations from a number of donation points across the borough; to find your nearest donation point visit telfordcrisissupport.org.uk
To read the full letter to the PM visit ifanuk.org/PMjoint-letter
