Thousands of people in Bristol and South Gloucestershire have faced hunger in the past 12 months, with over 38,700 emergency food parcels provided by the North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank. Shockingly, more than 14,400 of these parcels were given to children, as reported by the anti-poverty charity Trussell.
This data comes from the latest figures released today, showing a significant increase in the number of food parcels distributed compared to previous years. Across the UK, Trussell reported a staggering 2,885,086 food parcels given out between April 2024 and March 2025, emphasizing the need for urgent action from the government to address the root causes of food insecurity.
According to Trussell, this should serve as a ‘wake-up call’ for the UK government to strengthen the social security system and re-think cuts to welfare that risk forcing more people to rely on food banks. Emma Revie, chief executive of Trussell, stated, “Far too many children, families, disabled people, working people, and elderly people from across Bristol and South Glos needed to access food banks for emergency food in the past year. This should be a wake-up call to government and a stark reminder of their responsibilities to the people of Bristol and South Glos.”
The North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank, part of the Trussell community of food banks, has seen a slight decrease of 4% in the number of emergency food parcels distributed compared to last year. However, this area has still experienced persistently high levels of food bank need over the past five years, with a 62% increase compared to the same period in 2019-2020.
Ellen Wood, Manager of North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank, commented, “We’ve seen a slight dip in food parcels this year, which shows our collective efforts are making a difference. But many people across Bristol and South Glos still face hunger. Behind these numbers are real people – parents skipping meals so their children can eat, elderly people in cold homes, and working families who can’t stretch their wages far enough.”
In response to the ongoing need for emergency food, NBSG Foodbank is actively developing access to advice and services to help people move away from relying on food banks. However, upcoming changes to disabled benefits are a concern for the food bank, as it may increase pressure and reverse progress made in reducing the need for emergency food.
NBSG Foodbank is calling on the community to play their part in ending the need for emergency food in the UK. Individuals can support the food bank by donating food or funds at nbsg.foodbank.org.uk. As Wood stated, “We need both immediate community support through donations and long-term policy changes that ensure everyone has enough money for life’s essentials.”
To find out how many emergency food parcels were provided to people facing hardship in your local area, visit nbsg.foodbank.org.uk/postcode. Together, we can work towards ending food insecurity in the UK.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.