MORE than 1.2 million emergency food parcels were given to people struggling to afford essentials by Trussell Trust food banks between April 1 and September 30.

This made it the busiest period in the charity’s 23-year history as people and businesses struggled with the overwhelming changes imposed on everyday life during lockdown.

Several sites in Sussex were among those to see staggering increases over this period.

In Brighton, which has one Trussell Trust food bank, the Whitehawk Food Bank at the Valley Social Centre, 753 food parcels were distributed between April 1 and September 30 last year.

The Argus: Embargoed to 0001 Thursday January 10..File photo dated 05/10/18 of food being sorted at a foodbank. Most WI members have donated supplies, money or volunteered at local foodbanks, research suggests. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Thursday January 1Embargoed to 0001 Thursday January 10..File photo dated 05/10/18 of food being sorted at a foodbank. Most WI members have donated supplies, money or volunteered at local foodbanks, research suggests. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Thursday January 1

Cut to the same period in 2020 and this figure had risen to 3,072.

This year, 2,003 food parcels have been issued to children.

Similarly concerning rises were seen elsewhere in the county when comparing data from 2019 and 2020, for the period between April and September.

In Mid Sussex the figure climbed from 1,013 to 3,575, in Eastbourne there was an increase from 5,043 to 6,171 and a rise from 2,929 to 4,281 was seen in Hastings.

The number of parcels distributed in both Rother and Chichester more than doubled, moving from 1,909 to 4,216, and 882 to 1,978 respectively.

Two of the greatest proportional increases were seen in Adur and Horsham.

The Argus:

In Adur, the figure almost quadrupled in a year, soaring from 591 to 2.281.

Meanwhile, in Horsham, Trussell Trust distributed 724 food parcels between April and September in 2019. This year, with widespread job losses amid the pressures of the coronavirus lockdown, there were 2,204 parcels issued.

And it is feared this huge demand on food banks will only continue to increase.

A Trussell Trust spokesman said the charity was concerned “that food banks in its network may still see high levels of need over the winter and beyond – particularly as redundancies recently hit a record high, doubling since the previous quarter”.