IN last week’s edition of the Barry & District News, Brian Kirke’s letter raised a number of concerns about the Trussell Trust and the work done by its network of foodbanks – of which the Vale Foodbank is one.

It was good to hear about the amazing job Mr Kirke’s mother did at the end of the war to support her family. Times were really hard but people ‘made do’ and pulled together to help each other. The good news is that same spirit lives on in terms of the thousands of people who donate food and freely give their time to feed their hungry communities through the foodbank movement- including here in the Vale.

Hunger in the UK is real, and it happens every day. This shouldn't be happening in one of the richest countries in the world. That's why charities like the Trussell Trust talk about it and publish their figures to raise awareness of the number of people who are experiencing food poverty.

Mr Kirke states the Trussell Trust has “admitted they over-estimated the amount of people that use foodbanks.” In fact, the Trussell Trust has clarified that its figures refer to the number of times that food was given out last year as opposed to unique visits by individuals (the same is true of the Vale Foodbank’s figures).

Of course, we can always argue about the interpretation of figures but surely what really matters is that we have people in our community who are hungry – if a child is fed twice in a year by the foodbank does that somehow make the issue less important?

In terms of the concerns Mr Kirke raises about “hefty” Trussell Trust fees, foodbanks pay a one-off fee of £1,500 followed by an annual fee of £360. For that, they receive a package of resources and support, including training, a data base, website and an operating manual. Foodbanks participate in national Tesco collections which, as well as tonnes of food, provide an annual ‘top up’ fee (based on the weight of food collected) - last year alone the Vale Foodbank received £752.48.

Finally, Mr Kirke says it is a “known fact that the foodbank system is wide open to fraud and abuse”. All Trussell Trust Foodbanks work to minimise this risk by operating a referral process whereby people in crisis can only access a food parcel if they have been assessed and referred by a professional agency e.g. Citizens Advice Bureau, Social Services, Health Visitors etc. In the Vale the foodbank works with 60 agencies that refer people in crisis for help. If anyone has any evidence of fraud we would welcome specific information so we can look into it.

We understand that the issue of food poverty is an uncomfortable truth that some may find hard to accept is a reality, but the sad fact is that every day there are people in the UK, including the Vale, who struggle to feed themselves and their children. There could be any number of reasons for this - not enough work, low-pay, problem with benefits, domestic violence or simply just an unexpected bill.

Like the vast majority of foodbanks, the Vale Foodbank is run entirely by a hardworking and committed team of unpaid volunteers who give their time freely to support people. We are incredibly grateful to them and to all those who so generously donate – thanks to you, the Vale Foodbank’s volunteers can continue to be ready with a cuppa, a food parcel and a listening ear to all those who need them.

Susan Lloyd-Selby

Vale Foodbank co-ordinator