More people turning to food banks as they have no option

Figures reach record high by 'staggering' demand

- EDEL KENEALY

The number of Renfrewshire children being fed by food banks has reached a record high as figures reveal the "staggering" crisis facing local families.

New data, published by the Trussell Trust, shows 3,468 children received a three-day emergency food parcel in the year to April 2025.

It is the highest number on record.

The figure represents an incredible 20 per cent increase in child hunger in the local authority area in the past year alone.

The Trussell Trust, which manages Renfrewshire Foodbank, said it had provided emergency food support to 10,587 people in the 2024/25 financial year.

Crystal Clayton, manager of the food bank which has distribution centres in Paisley, Renfrew and Johnstone, said: “It is staggering and deeply upsetting that so many individuals in our local community have faced crisis and hardship severe enough to require emergency food aid.