Christmas scares me, says food bank user

Samantha Price has been visiting the foodbank regularly for about six years, and says she can't see her situation changing in the near future

A food bank user says she is too scared to even start thinking about Christmas because she takes life day by day.

Samantha Price, who uses the Rhymney Valley service in Caerphilly county, said her money is going down but costs and prices are going up.

"Things are really expensive for us," she said.

"Toiletries, food, ladies' hygiene items. Money is going down but everything is going up."

Anti-poverty charity Trussell said its community of food banks distributed more than 80,000 emergency food parcels across Wales between April and September this year.

The Trussell charity has distributed more than 80,000 emergency food parcels across Wales between April and September this year.

Of those parcels, 29,000 were for children facing hunger, with 62% of the total number of parcels going to households with children aged 0 to16.

Trussell called on the Welsh government to take "decisive action".

The government said it continues "to be determined to do everything we can within our powers to tackle poverty".

"This foodbank in Aberbargoed is really important for me to be able to feed my child," Samantha added.

"My benefits have been stopped.

"I was really worried about shouting out, but I am really glad I did because I have met a fabulous group of people, and it has helped me out massively."

About 19,000 people visited a food bank for the first time between April and September.

But the first visit is not always easy said Samantha, who is 46 and has a 12-year-old daughter.

"I think it was embarrassment," she said.

"People don't tend to talk about it. I first came here in about 2018.

"I had just lost my job. No income coming in. I am so glad I did come and ask for help. These are brilliant people."

Samantha is still unemployed and waiting for her first universal credit payment after being transferred from employment support allowance at the beginning of the month. The average waiting time is five weeks.

"[Christmas] is really stressful," she said. "It scares me."

"I have to take it day by day, otherwise I'll lock myself away and just dwell on my thoughts.

"I feel very worried and stressed, sometimes low because perhaps I am overthinking things. But then I am not really overthinking things at all am I, because it is really hard."

The Rhymney Valley Foodbank "is a critical lifeline" for many people

Trussell said while nearly 6,000 (7%) fewer food parcels were provided by them across Wales compared to the same period last year, the figure of 80,000 parcels in the first six months of 2024 is still 42% greater than the same period in 2019.

It said the need for emergency food is still persistently high.

"It's heartbreaking," said Steve Evans Jones from Rhymney Valley food bank.

"Our food bank is quite a busy food bank.

"Last year we fed 5,500 people from our three hubs and that is in a geographical area where about 30,000 people live," he said.

"That is a massive number of individuals and families facing destitution on a daily basis."

Janie Hughes has been helping the charity in the valley for over 14 years, as she wanted to do something to help

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "The cabinet secretary recently visited Wrexham foodbank to announce an additional £700,000 for the fuel bank foundation."

“We will be making our spending decisions as we develop our draft Budget in the weeks ahead, and it will be published next month.”