Half of the children needing help from food banks last summer were in primary school and more than a quarter were under the age of five. 47% of the children receiving supplies from food banks were aged 5-11, while 27% were under five and a fifth were aged 12-16.
Samantha Stapley, operations manager for England at the Trussell Trust, said the statistics highlighted “just how close to crisis many families are”.
She added: “As a nation, we also must address the reasons why families with children are referred to food banks in the first place. We welcome the government’s decision to maintain free school lunches for children during term time – the next step must be to help families during the holidays.”