STARVING FIFERS are going without food for days as times get tougher for low earners.
One woman turned up at Dunfermline Foodbank having had nothing to eat for two days.
As many enjoyed a festive feast, people in need were struggling to survive.
John Drylie, who runs the foodbank in Dickson Street, said there was a growing demand for hand-outs.
Alarmingly, around half of the people who turn up looking for help cannot afford food despite being in employment.
He said: “About 50% of the people we are dealing with at the foodbank are on low wages, which is quite a concern. They’re not making ends meet.
“For low wage earners, something like a big bill is enough to put them back.
“We are finding that they are making sure the kids have something to eat but they are going without.
“Last week we had a lady come in who had not had anything to eat for two days absolutely nothing. We made sure she got something to eat.”
Among the others who have needed help from the foodbank recently was a family with six children.
Mr Drylie said a wide range of people were finding themselves in a desperate financial situation.
Clients have included former business people and older people who have found themselves out of work as a result of the recession.
Not being able to afford food is often just one symptom of poverty, which can be accompanied by low self-esteem and mental health issues.
“We’re talking about a wide age range, not just young people but older people as well,” Mr Drylie said.
“We are seeing people who are coming towards retirement and finding they have just been made redundant and are really concerned about what life is all about because they feel they can’t look after themselves.
“We’ve had people whose business has failed and they are down to rock bottom. Some people who come to the foodbank have low self-esteem and feel worthless.”
Dunfermline Foodbank has only been up and running since September but is already seeing a rise in demand.
In a two-month period, it helped 110 people, and Mr Drylie is expecting to be busy over the Christmas period.
“Over Christmas, people are stretching themselves more to buy things. We are getting busier,” he said.
Mr Drylie fears that benefit reform will plunge more people deeper into poverty.
“We are finding that people on benefits are quite concerned about the changes to benefits coming in April because it’s going to affect them.
“We’re gearing up to make sure we are prepared for the people who need our help.”
Those in need are referred to the foodbank by various agencies.
Clients are given food tokens and the foodbank aims to give them enough for three nutritional, balanced meals for three days.
Although supermarkets, including Tesco and Asda, donate large amounts of food to the service, donations from the public are always welcome.
These can be made at the warehouse, which is open between 4pm and 6pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Dunfermline Foodbank accepts non-perishable items, such as tinned food, dried goods, such as rice and pasta, and also vegetables.
Find out more at dunfermline.foodbank.org.uk
arobertson@thecourier.co.uk