The Trussell Trust facts for kids

The Trussell Trust is a charity in the United Kingdom. It works to end the need for food banks across the country. The charity helps over 1,200 food bank centres. These centres give emergency food and support to people who are struggling. The Trussell Trust also campaigns for big changes to stop people from falling into poverty. Its main office is in Salisbury, England.

History

The Trussell Trust was started in 1997 by Paddy and Carol Henderson. They used money left by Carol's mother, Betty Trussell. At first, the charity helped children in Bulgaria. They worked to make things better for kids sleeping at Sofia Central Railway Station.

In 2000, they began helping people in the UK too. They opened the first food bank in their home city of Salisbury. This happened after a British mother contacted them, saying she was finding it hard to feed her children.

How They Help

Food Banks

Food parcels given out by the Trussell Trust from 2005/06 to 2022/23.

The Trussell Trust supports over 1,200 food bank centres across the UK. These centres give emergency food and help to people facing poverty. About two-thirds of all emergency food banks in the UK are part of the Trussell Trust network.

In 2018–19, food banks in their network gave out 1.6 million food parcels. This was a 19% increase from the year before. More than half a million of these parcels went to children. In the last five years, the use of food banks in their network has gone up by 73%.

People often need to use a food bank for a few main reasons. These include their income not covering basic costs, delays in getting government support (benefits), or changes to these benefits.

Food banks get non-perishable food donated by the public. This food comes from places like schools, churches, businesses, and supermarket collection points. Over 28,000 volunteers sort this food into emergency parcels.

People are usually referred to food banks by professionals. These can be doctors, social workers, or the police. They receive a food bank voucher. This voucher lets them get a parcel of three days' worth of healthy, non-perishable food from their local food bank. Food banks also offer kind support and help people find other agencies. These agencies can help with bigger problems, so people don't need to use the food bank again.

From April to September 2019, the Trussell Trust gave out 823,145 food parcels. About 301,653 of these went to children. This was 23% more than the same time in 2018. Problems with government benefits were a big reason for this increase. The Trussell Trust asks politicians to make sure people are protected from hunger. They want to end the long wait for Universal Credit payments. They also want to make sure benefit payments cover basic living costs.

Research and Campaigning

The Trussell Trust also studies why people need food banks in the UK. They use this information to campaign for changes. Their goal is a future where no one needs a food bank. They work with food banks to collect information. They regularly share data on food bank use.

They are working on a big research project called "State of Hunger." When finished, it will be the largest study ever on food bank use and hunger in the UK. The first report from this project came out in November 2019.

The Trussell Trust supports several groups working for change. These include End Hunger UK and All Kids Count. Their own campaign, #5WeeksTooLong, asks for an end to the five-week wait for the first Universal Credit payment. Many other charities support this campaign.

In November 2023, the Trussell Trust calculated how much money a single adult needs to live a decent life in the UK. They said it was at least £29,500 a year, up from £25,000 in 2022. A family with two parents and two children would need £50,000, up from £44,500 in 2022. They found that 29% of the UK population, about 19.2 million people, live in households that earn less than this minimum amount.

See also

• List of food banks