More turn to UK food banks as food and fuel bills soar

LONDON (AP) — For many struggling families, older people and the homeless, Michelle Donnelly’s food hub in east London has been a lifeline. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Britain, she has been collecting surplus groceries from supermarkets and distributing them to people who can't afford to buy food.

While the virus threat has faded, the need for food banks in Britain has soared. Skyrocketing energy and food bills are pushing millions deeper into financial hardship, and food banks and community groups like Donnelly’s across the United Kingdom say they don’t have enough to feed the growing numbers of desperate people knocking at their doors.

“We are struggling as it is, but right now we’re in a bubbling pot. You’re getting people panicking,” Donnelly said, dishing up turkey curry and onion bhajis to serve people recently. “We used to be able to run to 4 p.m., but now by 2:30, all the food’s gone.”

Donnelly offers groceries and free hot meals every week to several dozen regulars in Hackney, an inner London borough with high rates of inequality: almost half of all children there are in poverty. Since the winter, at least 30 to 40 new people have been referred to her, she says.

The cost of food and fuel in the U.K. has risen sharply, with inflation reaching 9% in April — the highest in 40 years. The same month, millions of families saw their annual energy bills jump by 54%, amounting to an extra 700 pounds ($863) a year on average for each household. Another energy price hike is expected in October, as Russia’s war in Ukraine and rebounding demand after the pandemic push oil and natural gas prices higher.

Food businesses have had to pass on higher costs to shoppers, who already have less in their pockets because pay is failing to keep up with price increases. Those on...