Cost of living: Seventy families on Sheppey food pantry waiting list
- Published
Families queue to access the food pantry at the Seashell's Children's Centre in Sheerness
A food pantry in the most deprived ward on the Isle of Sheppey said demand has hit an all time high amid the cost of living crisis.
Seashell's Children's Centre in Sheerness delivers around 50 emergency food parcels every week and currently has a waiting list of 70 families.
A manager at the centre said the situation was "desperate".
Roughly 12,000 people live on the Isle of Sheppey, which has high levels of deprivation and unemployment.
In Kent, 13.8% of children live in poverty - defined by households earning less than £16,800 per year. In Swale, that figure rises to 15%, a total of 4,661 children.
The service in Sheerness is registered a pantry rather than a food bank as users pay a small fee to access provisions.
Describing the current situation as "desperate", manager Kate Townsend-Blazier said it was not just the financial impact on families but their emotional wellbeing too.
Amy Watkins, 23, recently became a single parent and was forced to give up working in order to care for her two daughters.
"I'm constantly trying to calculate how to do cheaper meals, how to save on gas and the electric," she said. "I can't switch off from it, especially at night time."
Single mum Amy said she does not know what she would do without the food pantry
Mum-of-five Louise Cuthbertson also struggles to make ends meet. She works part-time, and her husband works full-time - together they have a household income of £35,000.
"It's still not enough," she said. "The people at the bottom are the ones who are struggling - and I'm one of those people."
The centre distributes 50 to 60 emergency food parcels per week which tend to be reserved for families who have to choose between eating or paying bills.
"When they say we can't cope they're not saying it because it's fashionable, they're saying it because it's true," said Sheerness Town councillor Dolley White.
She added that children are going to be the "hardest hit".
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, external, on Twitter, external, and on Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk, external.