As demand for emergency food assistance continues to surge in the United Kingdom, food bank charities are taking measures to support their staff and volunteers facing burnout and stress. These measures include providing access to counseling, general practitioners (GPs), and mental health services.
The increase in workload and the emotional toll of assisting growing numbers of destitute and emotionally traumatized clients have taken a toll on frontline food bank workers. More than 2,000 staff and volunteers from the Trussell Trust food banks now have access to a comprehensive health and wellbeing support package. This package includes assistance with compassion fatigue, mental health first aid, face-to-face appointments with GPs and counselors, and a helpline offered by the Samaritans.
Independent food banks have also taken steps to enhance staff wellbeing, with one charity in the north-east of England planning to contract a private healthcare company to provide a 24/7 helpline and app-based mental health support for its overwhelmed staff.
The £30,000 investment by the Trussell Trust is a response to the ongoing mental and physical strain experienced by its workforce, who are grappling with the immense pressure of providing emergency food aid to increasing numbers of individuals affected by rising poverty, benefit cuts, and the cost of living crisis.
Sabine Goodwin, coordinator for the Independent Food Aid Network (Ifan), highlighted that food bank staff and volunteers are constantly under stress due to the poverty crisis in the UK. As poverty worsens, they are expected to handle complex situations while dealing with the pressure to secure adequate supplies.
Managers noted that volunteers, in particular, face an emotional burden, as they are often unprepared for the heartbreaking circumstances faced by clients and the relentless pace of their work. Additionally, they may become demoralized when they realize that clients can be trapped in food bank reliance due to the inadequate state benefits system.
This adjustment reflects the evolving role of food banks in the UK, from community groups and churches providing voluntary support to becoming central actors in responding to social emergencies triggered by austerity cuts, welfare benefit reductions, and the strain on public services. Initially serving primarily unemployed single adults and refugees, food banks now assist a broader range of clients, including families, low-wage and zero-hours workers, and pensioners, as the cost of living crisis continues to unfold.
