Feature: Britons helped by foodbank increase nearly 20 pct in past year

As the number of people receiving foodbank parcels topped the million mark reports show even professional Britons have experienced hunger.

A qualified teacher and mother of two named Susan told how there are times when her family struggles to afford food and pay bills.

"The foodbank meant we could put food on the table," Susan told volunteers at one of the 445 foodbanks now opened across Britain by the charity, the Trussel Trust.

Another recipient of food parcels, Marcella, a former dental assistant recovering from a spinal operation, told volunteers: 'It's so hard to pay rent and survive. I have friends who are working minimum wage jobs who have had to go to foodbanks.

"Going to a foodbank was very emotional for me, I felt a bit ashamed at not being able to support myself. The foodbank gave me faith that there are people who understand."

Another young mother told volunteers at a children's holiday lunch club show she skipped her meals to feed her children but couldn't bring herself go to a foodbank, saying she would sell furniture before going to the foodbank.

The Trussell Trust has issued its statistics for the year ending March 31, 2015, showing how the numbers helped by foodbanks had increased by almost 20 percent compared to the previous year.

Foodbank use has, for the first time, topped one million, setting a new record, with 1,084,604 people receiving emergency food parcels, a number which included almost 400,000 children.

The trust says their figures show that despite signs of economic recovery in Britain, the numbers of people turning to foodbanks continues to grow.

While problems receiving state benefits is the main reason people turn to the foodbanks, the trust says an increasing number of working people on low incomes have sought help with food.

Trussell director Adrian Curtis said: "Hunger continues to affect significant numbers in the UK today. Our latest figures highlight how vital it is that we all work to prevent and relieve hunger in the UK. It's crucial we listen to the experiences of people using foodbanks to understand the nature of the problems they face. What people who have gone hungry have to say holds the key to finding the solution."

In the past year the trust has handed out almost 10,300 tonnes of food. Five years ago the trust ran just 56 foodbanks, now there are 445. Five years ago less than 26,000 turned to the trust for help, and now it is over 1 million. Endit