By Ruth Mosalski

Copyright walesonline

More people than ever who are forced to go to food banks for help are working families, a leading charity has said. Trussell, which provides 146 food bank centres across Wales, says 31% of people referred to food banks in the last year are from working households, a figure up from 21% in 2022. A survey of people referred to food banks revealed that people are being left with just £89 a week after housing costs to cover essentials like food, utility bills, travel for work or school , and toiletries like shampoo and toothpaste. The charity says over 660,000 people in Wales faced hunger in 2024 due to a lack of money. Its research has also found one in four (24%) families with children in food insecure households. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here. It says that there are gaps in the support system with “too many people falling through the cracks”. It found more than a third of those going to food banks haven’t accessed other formal support first. It admits that “many people don’t access charitable food provision despite needing it”. One woman told the charity’s researchers: “There have been times where I’ve just had cereal to eat all day… the money doesn’t stretch, before you know it, you have run out again”. Katie Till, policy manager in Wales at Trussell, said: “Hunger and hardship are increasingly seen as a normal part of everyday life in Wales, with working people and families with children being hit particularly hard. “We need to see urgent change, now. Our nation should not be seeing one in four (24%) families with children in food insecure households. “This is not an inevitable trend, but the result of systems that urgently need updating – particularly our social security system. “It isn’t right that so many people in Wales from all walks of life – including pensioners, disabled people, working families, and carers – are struggling to make ends meet. “Nobody in Wales should face hunger. Both the Welsh and UK governments need to keep their word and ensure every child has the best possible start in life and that that everyone has the dignity of being able to put food on the table. “This research is the benchmark against which they will be judged.” The charity has made a series of demands of political parties ahead of the Senedd election in May 2026, including