During the last two weeks of March, food banks in our network reported a shocking 81% increase in need compared to the same period last year – that’s 6,250 food parcels each day, with 3,000 provided for children.
This isn’t right. With a coalition of anti-poverty charities, we’re calling on the government to create a Coronavirus Emergency Income Support Scheme – and in the past fortnight over 2,000 of you have emailed your MP to let them know you agree.
This amazing support is making a real difference, and it’s vital that we don’t stop now.
We’re all facing the same storm, but we aren’t all in the same boat.
Although the government has introduced a series of helpful measures like the Coronavirus Jobs Retention scheme, we need them to build on these foundations and act quickly to make sure everyone can stay afloat.
We need them to make sure councils can support their communities, increase benefits for families, lift the benefit cap and two-child limit, and suspend repayments of Universal Credit advances. We need them to do the right thing.
Last week, Boris Johnson said that the UK could come out of this crisis “stronger and better” than before, “more generous and sharing.” If that’s going to become a reality, the government needs to act now – and so do we.
Email your MP and ask them to take action today.
If we keep building the pressure, together we know this can change.
