'It’s a constant stress': Government urged to act amid surge in families turning to food banks

Survey of 1,000 adults found 41% of parents said they had skipped a meal themselves or reduced their portion size to feed their children.

More than 10% of parents were forced to turn to a food bank to feed their children last year in what has described as a “wake-up call” to Government that the cost-of-living crisis “hasn’t gone away”.

A national survey by Barnardos also found the number of parents skipping meals, borrowing money to be able to feed their children and feeling they have not put enough food on the table has also increased significantly.

The annual survey on Food Insecurity in Ireland from the children’s charity and retailer Aldi found the past 12 months has seen household finances become “increasingly stretched to the point of breaking” for many families as the cost-of-living crisis persists.

The survey of 1,000 adults carried out by Coyne Research found half of parents were cutting down on spending on clothes and on their own leisure or hobbies to be able to afford food for their family.

It also found 41% of parents said they had skipped a meal themselves or reduced their portion size, up 12% on the previous year.

Similarly, 24% said they had borrowed money to feed their child, while 12% used a food bank. Of those worried about putting food on the table, more parents reported feeling embarrassed, guilty, stressed and afraid to ask for help in 2023 than the previous year.

Barnardos national policy manager Stephen Moffatt told the Irish Examiner the results of the survey were “reflective of what we see across our services day-in day-out".

“We still have families coming to us who a few years ago wouldn’t have needed any help,” he said. “And now they’re actively seeking out and asking for food parcels. That’s been a consistent story for two years now.” 

Cork-based food bank Feed Cork recently reported a surge in families using its service, while Dublin-based The D8 Food Bank said the same.

“We’ve seen a huge increase,” said D8’s Margaret O’Reilly. “Every week there’s an extra couple of people coming. Food prices have all gone up and people are finding it very hard. They’re choosing between buying food and clothes sometimes.” 

Barnardos said in such scenarios where families were struggling, both parents and children suffer.

“It’s a constant stress for parents,” Mr Moffatt said. 

It’s a constant worry every day if there’s not enough food in the house. And children pick up on that stress too.

In its report, Barnardos urged the Government to take targeted measures to support the increasing number of families struggling to feed their children such as a pilot programme for hot school meals outside of term time for families in difficulty.

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“This is a wake-up call that cost-of-living issues haven’t gone away,” Mr Moffatt added. “It’s so worrying that families have to borrow money to put food on the table. It’s an absolute basic necessity they shouldn’t have to borrow for.”