00:00 "We are expecting over 600,000 people to need to use a food bank this winter and that's
00:08 about a parcel every eight seconds. So there's going to be a lot of people who need to come
00:15 to food banks because they simply don't have enough money to cover the essentials."
00:20 In their mission to stop hunger and poverty in the UK, charity The Trussell Trust helps
00:24 those in need by providing emergency food and support. Last year, almost 3 million emergency
00:30 food parcels were sent out by their food banks, the most they've ever distributed in a year.
00:35 In 2023, they're expecting that number to continue to grow as inflation and the cost
00:39 of bills remains high and so does the number of their service users.
00:43 "We thought that last winter was our busiest ever and we thought the year before the pandemic
00:50 was the biggest ever so we are definitely anticipating that this year will be higher
00:56 than previous years. So we are doing everything that we can to help prepare food banks in
01:03 our network to meet that level of need while also talking about how important it is that
01:08 we work towards a future where everyone has access to and can afford the essential items
01:12 that we all need."
01:14 Not only do those who come through their doors need help putting food on the table, the charity
01:18 also found around one in six don't have access to the internet, with around 1.7 million people
01:24 being disconnected across the UK.
01:26 "British people carry out at least 90 tasks online every day. We send 270 text messages,
01:35 we make 180 phone calls, we book 150 appointments online every month. So if you don't have access
01:43 to connectivity, you don't have access to any of that."
01:45 "Being able to provide people through our food banks who are participating in the campaign
01:52 connectivity at the point of coming to a food bank, to be able to then help people get online
01:57 for a universal credit application or access services and even just be able to get back
02:01 in touch with their loved ones as well, it's of massive value to everyone that comes through."
02:07 This year is the third the charity is partnering with Vodafone UK to help close the digital
02:11 exclusion gap and help shed light on the realities of being on the wrong side of the digital
02:16 divide.
02:17 "We teamed up actually with Emma Willis to produce a series on YouTube, taking away her
02:22 mobile phone and her access to the internet and asked her to complete some simple challenges
02:29 such as getting to a location she'd never been to before. So imagine if you are trying
02:35 to access a Trussell Trust food bank and you don't know where it is and you don't have
02:41 access to a map or GPS on your phone because you've run out of data, you don't know where
02:46 you are. Those kind of things are really tricky."
02:50 "From the experiences I've had today, it's abundantly clear that this society isn't built
02:57 for people who are disconnected and that is something that has to change."
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