Glossop Foodbank receives shocking statistics

Glossopdale Foodbank annual statistics, published this month, reveal the impact that the economic downturn and cost-of-living crisis is having on residents of the Glossopdale Valley.

The food bank received an average of 245 referrals per month for food parcels, which is by far the highest level of referrals in the organisation's 11-year history.

In total, there were 2,940 referrals. Most significant and concerning is that 471 of these referrals were to households with someone in work, meaning a rising proportion of working people cannot earn enough to put sufficient food on their table for themselves and their family.

A ‘referral’ is a visit to the food bank, so the figures include some people who have had to visit more than once. However, those visits were made by 643 different individuals – representing 643 different households – over the whole 12-month period. Alongside this, 1,360 of the referrals included children.

A more detailed breakdown reveals that Glossopdale Foodbank provided 68,913 meals for individuals and families during 2023. The referrals accounted for 4,798 adults and 2,859 children.

Chair of the Glossopdale Foodbank, Godfrey Claff, said: "It had become clear throughout the year that we were heading for the worst year in our history. We receive figures every month and these figures were expected. But I still read them with a very heavy heart.

"It is hard to understand why, in 2024, one of the top seven largest economies in the world is failing to provide the most basic necessity for its population. And it's not as if Glossop is a poverty-stricken community; just a walk down the High Street, with so few empty shops, demonstrates that Glossop is a place where many people thrive, but these figures show that a significant number do not.

"Of course, as we have said time and again, the Glossopdale community is hugely generous, and it is only through this generosity that the Foodbank provides. Alongside the gloom of the high figures, it was so heart-warming during the pre-Christmas period to see so many individuals, businesses, churches and other organisations give food and special Christmas treats so generously, so that we could provide something just a little special to so many people."