SALISBURY based foodbank charity The Trussell Trust provided emergency food a record number of people last year.
The latest figures released show that numbers using the foodbank has increased by 19 per cent on last year and in the South West 106,292 people received help.
Whilst problems with benefits remain the largest driver of foodbank use, there has been an increase in numbers referred due to low income in the last year.
Foodbank managers reported that clients who are in work are struggling with insecure work, low wages and high living costs.
Trussell Trust UK foodbank director Adrian Curtis said: "Despite welcome signs of economic recovery, hunger continues to affect significant numbers of men, women and children in the UK today.
"It’s difficult to be sure of the full extent of the problem as Trussell Trust figures don’t include people who are helped by other food charities or those who feel too ashamed to seek help.
"The Trussell Trust’s latest figures highlight how vital it is that we all work to prevent and relieve hunger in the UK. It’s crucial that we listen to the experiences of people using foodbanks to truly understand the nature of the problems they face; what people who have gone hungry have to say holds the key to finding the solution."
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