Although the number of people who had turned to food banks this year was relatively largely unchanged compared to 2016, the Rev Iain MacFirbhisigh, who helps run the St Vincent de Paul food bank, said that the number of people accessing his service was increasing.
According to the Foodbanks in Jersey 2017 Usage Report, which measured the number of visits in the first quarters of 2016 and 2017, 179 Islanders accessed the Grace Trust – down by two compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, the St Helier Methodist Centre reported a drop of six visits between 2016 and 2017. A total of 122 visits were made to St Vincent de Paul in the first three months of the year, but no 2016 figures were available for that service.
Mr MacFirbhisigh said: ‘Our own figures are going up but I can’t comment on what is happening elsewhere in Jersey.
‘If we look at what is happening in the UK, food banks have become the norm and a part of life. This isn’t happening in Jersey to the same extent, but they are certainly being accessed for lots of different reasons and I can see them soon becoming a normal part of life here.
‘We see a spike at this time of year and I would say on average we are seeing a couple of hundred people per week. There are more [people] that we could be helping as well.’
The report showed that 60 per cent of food bank users were likely to be female. By comparison, data from 2016 showed that users were more likely to be single, childless men born in Jersey and aged between 30 and 49.
Some of the most common reasons cited for seeking food assistance were long-term health conditions, low-income and debt and unexpected problems leading to costs that could not be managed.
Mr MacFirbhisigh said: ‘I spoke to one grandmother recently who is responsible for looking after two grandchildren because their mother is in prison. She was so embarrassed and said no one would talk to her if she came to the food bank. The last thing people need to be is ashamed.’
Housing Minister Anne Pryke said: ‘Since the first report in 2016, a lot of effort has been put into joint working between food banks and government agencies to understand the scope and reasons for food bank usage in the Island. The data provided by this latest study is valuable in terms of our ongoing policy development.
‘The food bank usage report adds to a body of work aimed at better understanding the social issues affecting Jersey.
‘The recent Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey Report is particularly pertinent in this respect, and shows many Jersey households are facing difficulties coping financially. It is important that Government listens to this evidence so that policy decisions can be made from an informed standpoint.’
