Food charities call for more support as 30% of Medway children now live in poverty

KentOnline / KMTV

Medway Council says their finding new ways to tackle the crisis, while charities say cost of living pressures are hitting harder than ever.  Gabriel Morris reports.

Transcript

00:00Keeping the share of Stockton-Medway is getting harder as the cost of the living crisis bites.

00:07This community supermarket in Brompton offers a pantry service and discounted goods, a lifeline, members say.

00:14It's changed what sort of stuff we can have and eat and then we put money for other things, so we'd be lost without it.

00:24Every time you go into a shop, you find that things have gone up so much

00:29that you're usually putting things back rather than being able to get them.

00:33Come here and, you know, you can get things that you wouldn't be able to get in the shops.

00:38Now this supermarket is very similar to your average one you might find on a high street.

00:43The difference is, though, everything is subsidised.

00:46It's above a wholesale cost but below the recommended retail price.

00:52Take this spaghetti, for example, recommended retail price a pound.

00:56They sell it here for 75p.

00:59Medway Council reports more than 30% of children in the area are living in poverty.

01:04Nearly 8,000 people are claiming universal credit or jobseekers allowance.

01:10And with one in ten residents in fuel poverty, many face the daily challenge of heating or eating.

01:17And this charity says it's seeing demand rise fast, recently moving into a larger premises.

01:23You can see on a regular basis how people manage to, you know, when they can spend, when they can't.

01:30Whether they do a big shop, whether they do a small shop, you know.

01:33But sometimes it's a bit of a taboo subject.

01:36Second Chance Medway isn't a food bank but there are others across the towns, including Gillingham Street Angels.

01:44Their Chatham charity shop helps in two ways, offering cheap clothing and raising money to feed those in need.

01:51For instance, the last month we provided 16,000 meals through the food bank alone.

01:57We see not just people who are perhaps vulnerable or homeless using our services and our food banks.

02:05We're seeing lots and lots of working people.

02:07People who are working full time but are still struggling to make ends meet.

02:10And that problem seems to be endemic.

02:12The government says it's raised minimum wage to help ease pressure.

02:16But next week Medway Council's cabinet will discuss what more it can do locally.

02:21We're going into the summer holidays now for school kids.

02:25And again we've got that extra additional support helped by the government.

02:29And actually this year's payment has been really straightforward.

02:33Government didn't need lobbying like the previous Conservative government.

02:36And we know moving forward there will be a change of focus, crisis and resilience funding.

02:41And we of course were making the very best use of that.

02:44Charities say they'll keep stepping up, ready to support anyone who needs it.

02:48Gabriel Morris for KNTV in Medway.

02:50Foreign TV in Medway,

02:51Sean Green

02:56Team

02:58Team

02:59Team

03:01Team

03:03Team

Category

Transcript

Recommended