Food banks expect to see 'surge' this winter

PRESSURES OF RISE IN HEATING BILLS AND CHRISTMAS TO HIT FAMILIES

- BY NICK HORNER News Reporter

A Trussell Trust food bank

FOOD banks in the West Midlands are expecting to see a 'winter surge' as thousands of elderly, working families and carers struggle to make ends meet.

More than 61,000 emergency food parcels were distributed last winter between December 2024 and February 2025 to people across the West Midlands.

That was a 27 per cent increase compared to pre-pandemic levels five years ago.

But with winter about to bite, with the added pressures of additional heating leading to increased energy bills, the Trussell Trust is expecting numbers to rise again in the coming weeks and months.