Latest News
Nearly 600,000 food parcels handed out in Scotland in last 18 months
Read our full statistical briefing on the new figures. New figures released today by A Menu for Change and the Independent Food Aid Network reveal the full scale of food bank use in Scotland. 596,472 emergency food parcels were handed out between April 2018 and...
Number of Scots forced to apply for Crisis Grants to buy food continues to rise
Campaigners are calling for an increase to the Scottish Welfare Fund budget after new statistics released today show a rising numbers of Scots are accessing emergency cash to help pay for food. 50,980 applications for Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grants were made...
The fight against food insecurity in Scotland
By Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland and a Director of A Menu for Change. Today, on World Food Day, I would normally highlight the suffering of people being denied food because of drought, flood, or conflict. Globally, hunger has risen for three years in a...
The System Has Been Found Wanting
Read our new report, Found Wanting, here. If Scotland doesn’t have a shortage of food, why do so many worry about going hungry? The answer from Menu for Change’s research is simple: low and irregular wages, combined with a social security system that too often fails...
More people in Scotland worried about running out of food
New figures show that more people living in Scotland have reported being worried about running out of food in the past year, and campaigners say it reinforces the need for stronger action to stop people needing to turn to emergency food aid. The Scottish Government’s...
A Menu for Change responds to latest Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics
Commenting on today’s Scottish Welfare Fund statistics, Dr Mary Anne MacLeod, Research and Policy Officer at A Menu for Change, said: “Councils are being forced to top up the Scottish Welfare Fund, which has been cut in real-terms since 2013, in order to meet...
Breaking down the barriers in accessing emergency cash
By David Hilber, Project Officer, A Menu for Change Food bank use continues to rise and nearly one in ten people in Scotland are worried about where their next meal will come from. If you find yourself in this position, you can ask for a Crisis Grant: money given out...
‘Strengthening the Safety Net’ – New Scottish Welfare Fund report released
‘Strengthening the Safety Net’, a new report by A Menu for Change into the Scottish Welfare Fund, has been released today.
A stranger in a strange land who has run out of money for food
As an immigrant myself, I can tell you, being an outsider isn’t always easy. No matter how long you’ve been in your new country or how welcoming the people are, there is always a nagging feeling that you don’t quite belong. There are cultural norms you’ll never truly...
People living on cups of tea and thin air deserve faster action on poverty
The rise in food bank numbers is already symbolic of our failing social security system. Yet the appalling scale of this unfolding human tragedy in a country as rich as Scotland is only now becoming clear. We’ve known for some time that food bank use has been growing...
New figures reveal number of food bank parcels given out in Scotland almost double previously known figure
Nearly half a million parcels given out in 18 months Shocking new figures published today have exposed an alarming picture of food bank use in Scotland, with nearly double the number of food parcels being given out than previously thought. The new data, collected by...
Growing numbers turn to Scottish Welfare Fund for crisis support
New figures released by the Scottish government today show a growing number of people are turning to the Scottish Welfare Fund for support to cover essential living costs such as heating and eating.
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