Hackney families hardest hit by poverty
Demand for Hackney Foodbank is 300% higher than it was before the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis is hitting families hardest.
New figures released by Trussell today (Wednesday) reveal that London food banks provided the equivalent of 1,212 parcels a day in 2025 – that’s a parcel every minute.
In an average week in Hackney, almost two thirds of emergency food (65%) goes to families with children. In 2025 the food bank supported over 7,200 people, providing the equivalent of 302,571 emergency meals (compared with 75,330 meals in 2019).
Jenna Fansa, Head of Fundraising at Hackney Foodbank, said: “The stats say a lot, but they don’t reveal just how bleak things are. We regularly see parents who skip meals so their children can eat and people isolated in cold homes because they can’t afford the heating or the cost of going out.
“In 2026 we expect to give out more than £125,000 worth of food just for children. While the number of people we support has reduced slightly in the past year, the people we help tend to be in deeper poverty now.”
Hackney Foodbank has four full and part time case workers who help people move on to better situations; they support with housing issues, benefits and grant applications and refer on to an expert debt advisor.
Jenna added: “The work of our caseworkers is life changing – around half of the people they support don’t need to return to us for emergency food because their lives improve so much. But with average rents here at more than £2,400 a month for a two-bed place and wages and benefits failing to keep up, our food bank is still providing food for around 680 people per week, and we depend on the community for support.”
Trussell is calling on the UK government to lift the freeze on Local Housing Allowance and create a permanent link between rents and support, so more people are protected from runaway rental costs. They’re also lobbying for the basic rate of Universal Credit to cover the cost of essentials.
Helen Barnard, Director of Policy and Research at Trussell, said: “Too many people across the capital are still being pushed to the brink. Even as we gain hope from people getting back on their feet, we cannot lose sight of the heartbreaking injustice that such shocking numbers of people are still trapped in the grip of severe hardship.
“The pandemic and cost of living crisis have left deep scars. Severe hardship still weighs heavily on daily lives, leaving people overlooked and left behind.”
In Hackney, the food bank recently launched its No Child Left Hungry campaign to raise vital funds for emergency food for children. Visit www.hackney.foodbank.org.uk/no-child-left-hungry