Dozens of emergency food parcels were handed out to children in Epping Forest every week during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

That’s according to a report by the Trussell Trust showing a record 2.5 million parcels were distributed by its network of food banks across the UK in 2020-21.

The charity is urgently calling on UK governments to end the need for food banks “once and for all” amid soaring demand for help from families in crisis.

In Epping Forest, the charity handed out 4,416 emergency food parcels over the period.

Of those, 2,202 went to children – equivalent to 42 every week.

The overall figure, which includes parcels with three or seven days’ worth of supplies, was more than double the total number recorded the previous year.

But the charity warned its data does not come close to revealing the full scale of demand across the country, with unprecedented numbers of people being helped by other organisations that sprang up during the pandemic.

“No one should face the indignity of needing emergency food,” said Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust.

“Yet our network of food banks has given out record numbers of food parcels as more and more people struggle without enough money for the essentials.

“This is not right but we know we can build a better future.”

The charity is urging the public to write to their local candidates standing for election on May 6, asking them to commit to working to end the need for food banks if elected.

It is also calling on all levels of UK government to develop a plan to end the need for their use.

Across the UK, the 2.5 million parcels handed out in 2020-21 represented a 33 per cent increase on the previous year.

Of those, around 980,000 (39 per cent) went to children.

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