Britian's food banks prepare for busiest Christmas to help people facing hunger

LONDON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The charity that runs most of Britain's food banks said Wednesday it was preparing for its busiest ever Christmas to help people facing hunger.

Trussell Trust also released new data the same day indicating higher demand this year compared to last Christmas.

According to last year's figures, the network of food banks provided 146,798 emergency food supplies to people in crisis, including 61,093 children.

The grim data come as new figures Wednesday from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that 1.3 million kids in Britain are currently living in homes where there are no adult wage earners.

The number of homes in Britain with no wage earners has continued to fall, but the number is still almost three million, according to ONS.

The Trussell Trust says its latest figures show a 13-percent rise in food bank use during the first six months of this financial year, suggesting December 2017 will be even busier. Almost 1,000 tonnes of food are distributed by the trust each month, with the amount more than doubling in December to over 2,000 tonnes of donated food.

"Many food banks will be distributing presents to make sure children have presents under the tree, whilst others will be providing special Christmas food boxes with festive food or fresh turkeys. More food banks than ever will be running holiday clubs and community meals for families to make sure they have a hot meal and company over the Christmas break," said a spokeswoman for the trust.

Mark Ward, the trust's interim chief executive officer (CEO), said: "At Christmas, food banks will be working hard to provide not only those regular essentials, but also little extras that offer hope at a time when people need it most." Enditem