Crisis drives almost 5,400 people to foodbank in Dungannon this year

OVER 5,000 people have been helped by a foobank in Dungannon this year, with more than £90,000 worth of foods given to those in need.

On Thursday, the foobank – formerly known as Reach and run by the Vineyard Church – was rebranded as Dungannon Foodbank, which is now jointly run by Vineyard Church and the Trussell Trust Network.

Foodbanks are facing unprecedented demand due to the current cost of living crisis and because of the numbers they’re seeing, Dungannon Foodbank asked the team at Birnie Consultancy to take an in-depth look at their figures to help people better understand the need.

A spokesperson for Birnie Consultancy said, “Taking a five-year view, the team outlined a 191 per-cent increase in need between 2019 and 2020, due to the pandemic, with only a slight decrease (10 per-cent) between 2020 and 2021.

“Currently, this year’s figures are predicted to be 39 per-cent above 2021, with weekly figures tracking a 58 per-cent rise in need between the first and second weeks in October, coinciding with a 31.15 per-cent electric price rise.”

They added, “It’s clear that the cost of living crisis is hitting hard, something we’re seeing across the entire agri-food sector. This year to date, Dungannon Foodbank has blessed 5,370 people with £91,528 (retail value) worth of food and other essentials – a figure predicted to be close to 6,000 by year-end.

“As a company operating out of Dungannon, the team was happy to be able to offer this service to the local community. We will be continuing to work with the team from Dungannon Foodbank throughout 2023 and beyond.”