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“If it wasn’t for the foodbank, I don’t know what I’d do. I had to choose between feeding my children and starving myself, or eating.”

That’s what one mum in Bradford said to a volunteer at one of the 420 foodbanks that make up The Trussell Trust’s network. Multiply that by many thousands and you have a picture of the incredibly difficult decisions families across the UK face as Christmas approaches. Last December we gave out 60,000 three-day emergency food parcels to children alone, and foodbanks are poised to help even more people this year.

Running a food bank has opened my eyes to why people are without food.

Our focus has been on providing three days emergency food for people in a crisis. After a couple of years, I thought I knew about every scenario. But I often talk to people who are in a situation we’ve never come across before.

Week in, week out there are different people in Watford who do not have enough money for food. Some are affected by illness, by job losses or by homelessness. Others by simply not having any money because an emergency has left them short.

We think you, our supporters are incredible! The compassion, kindness and generosity you show is truly humbling. Every day, there are more people like you joining the fight against UK hunger; an ever growing community working to transform lives all over the UK.

Every donation you give, no matter the size, is gratefully received. We know that you understand the pain of people whose cupboards are bare and have no means of buying more food. Your compassion is heart-warming and hugely appreciated.

I know it’s hard to get through life with dignity, courage and strength when your basic needs aren’t met.

My support for The Trussell Trust comes from a place of compassion – I hate the thought of people struggling to meet their basic needs in a country like Britain. It also comes from a place of understanding, just a tiny bit, what people who turn to foodbanks might be going through.

As we approach the cold winter months and Christmas, it is time more than ever to remember the people who are going hungry on our doorstep. Trussell Trust foodbanks gave out 1.1 million emergency food supplies last year, and each of those foodbank visits tells a story of a person or family in crisis.

This is why we’re joining forces with 12 of the UK’s leading charities working with people affected by hunger to launch the End Hunger UK campaign. It starts with a Big Conversation, going on across the UK until March 2017. Individuals, foodbanks, food projects, local food networks and others are all invited to join in the Conversation and ask the question: What does our government need to do to End Hunger in the UK?

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When asked about the rise of foodbanks and poverty in Britain, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said,

“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”

The Trussell Trust is best known for its work running a network of foodbanks providing three days of emergency food and support to people in crisis in communities across the UK. A record 1.1 million of these parcels were given to people supported by our 420+ foodbank projects in the last year alone.  This is work we are proud of– but it’s shameful that it is necessary.  We need to ensure that people left desperate, with nowhere to turn, get the support they need.

A new report out today from housing charity Shelter lays bare a shocking reality foodbanks know only too well; many people are just one paycheck or unexpected bill away from being unable to afford basic essentials like food, rent and utilities.

Carol’s mother Betty had latterly wanted to help people. But when she died suddenly and quite unexpectedly, we decided to carry out her wishes and use her legacy to fund something that would change lives forever by reaching people in the UK and overseas; which is how The Trussell Trust was founded.

I have held several high pressure, high profile jobs during my career, some very much in the public eye, some affecting national government policy. Running has always been where I go to think. Week in week out, no matter where in the world I am, I make space for the essential solitude running makes possible, clocking up an average 25 miles a week. Running always helps me regain my equilibrium after a particularly hard day. I often work through problems on a long run. That’s where I come up with new strategies and new ideas.

Today the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has revealed that the UK poverty costs the average taxpayer £1,200 a year. The charity’s new report, Counting the cost of UK poverty by Heriot-Watt and Loughborough Universities, has estimated the annual cost of poverty at £78 billion. The research suggests £1 in every £5 spent on public services is needed because of the impact and cost poverty has on people’s lives.