ALMOST 500 emergency food parcels were handed to hungry children in Devizes and the surrounding area last year.

Devizes and District Foodbank said they had seen a five per cent rise in the number of emergency supplies given out between April 2018 and March 2019, compared to the same period last year.

Liz Starling, project manager at the St James' Church-based charity, blamed the rise on changes to the benefits system.

“No one in Devizes, Marlborough and Pewsey areas should need a food bank’s help and we want to see an end to local people needing emergency food at all," she said.

"It doesn’t have to be this way - our benefits system is supposed to protect us all from being swept into poverty. Universal Credit should be part of the solution but currently the five week wait is leaving many without enough money to cover the basics. This isn’t right."

In the 12 months to March 2019, foodbank staff and volunteers provided 1,477 food parcels. The emergency packages are designed to last three days. 468 food parcels went to children.

Calling on people to support the Devizes Foodbank, Ms Starling said: “Until we reach a future where food banks are no longer needed, we’ll continue to provide vital support when it matters most. We’re dedicated to ensuring that people in our community without enough money for food are able to access emergency support.

"Our vital work in the community has only been possible in the last year because of the incredible generosity shown by local people in donating food, time and funds."

Nationally, Trussell Trust-linked foodbanks handed out a record-breaking 1.6m food parcels last year. Half a million of these were given to children.

The charity's chief executive, Emma Revie, told The Guardian that the state should not rely on foodbanks to fix its shortcomings: “We do not want to be a part of the welfare state, we can’t be a part of the system.”

A government spokesman said it “cannot be claimed that Universal Credit is driving the overall use of foodbanks or that benefit changes and delays are driving growth”.

“The Trust's own analysis shows a substantial fall in the share of parcels being issued due to benefit payment delays,” the Department for Work and Pensions added.

For more about the Devizes and District Foodbank, visit: www.devizesdistrict.foodbank.org.uk or call 07807 973605.