'Heartbreaking' rise in older food bank users

A food bank director said it was "heartbreaking" to see hundreds more older people using the service.

The number of visitors aged over 65 at Colchester Foodbank rose from about 675 to 1,500 over the past year.

The facility says it is spending about £10,000 a month on expenses due to falling donations from the public.

Director Nikki Ranson said: "It's pretty tragic out there for every age group, but it's very heartbreaking when you get the older generation coming in as well."

Demand at the food bank has skyrocketed from 7,000 users per year, to 25,000, since the Covid-19 pandemic.

People aged 65 and over accounted for 2.7% of those people in the year to March, but that increased to more than 6% by December.

"It doesn't sound a lot, but when you look at the fact we feed 20-25,000 people a year, that's a horrendous amount," Ms Ranson said, speaking to Sonia Watson on BBC Essex.

"The question is always why are the elderly generation needing a food bank? That is such an awful situation."

The director revealed donations were down by 36% over the past year, something she said was "horrendous".

Ms Ranson added: "It's not looking good, we're not looking forward to what next year will bring."

Figures from food bank charity The Trussell Trust showed it too had seen a surge in older people using its service.

It handed out 97,000 emergency food parcels to people aged 65 and over in 2024-25 - more than three times the number in 2019-20.

Pam Cox, the Labour MP for Colchester, urged anyone who could support the food bank in her constituency to donate.

"Colchester Foodbank do a really good job providing emergency food parcels and helping to get people in a better place with their finances," she said.

The MP, who was elected in 2024, said Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget had focused on easing the cost of living.

She added: "Over time these changes will make a real difference."

Elsewhere in the county, Epping Forest Foodbank said it had not noticed more older people coming through its doors.

However, it said people were relying on it for longer periods of time, rather than just occasionally.

Davina Chipperlow, 22, from the food bank, said: "It's sad the numbers are growing.

"But we also find it really fulfilling we're able to do this and give people Christmas items they wouldn't necessarily be able to afford otherwise."

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