Foodbank plugs gaps in the welfare state

It's good to see the work of the Trussell Trust get a mention in the news today. The Trust has set up Foodbanks all over the country, including the one here in Truro which was instigated by members of Kea Church. Even in a relatively small community such as ours, every week there are families who find themselves without enough food to get through the week, for whom Foodbank provides a safety net.

This isn't really a political comment, more of an observation, that even in a country with a sophisticated benefits system like ours, it's impossible for the Welfare State to cover everybody, all of the time. Foodbank provides a local, small-scale solution that can respond quickly at points of need. As the pressure grows on the already creaking public finances, this kind of work can only become more important. This may not be exactly what the Government intends by the "Big Society", but work like that of the Foodbanks looks set to become part of the fabric for the foreseeable future.