The Foodbank Lifeline Foundation saw an increase of 44 per cent in referrals last month, despite a drastic decline in donations.

Last Christmas, a total of 325 families were on the books of the foundation, up from 225 families in December 2021.

“That would average to around 1,250 people a week that we helped in December,” Foodbank Lifeline Foundation manager Barbara Caruana told Times of Malta.

And to compound matters, despite the recent increase in referrals, the NGO saw a big fall in donations in its annual Reverse Advent Calendar initiative.

“In 2021, the reverse calendar did quite well but, unfortunately, this year we are quite low on donations,” Caruana said.

The initiative encouraged people to donate one non-perishable food item every day from December 1 until Christmas Eve. The food donated goes to food packs created to feed people in need.

Going into her third year as the NGO’s manager, this is the first time Caruana has seen such a low turnout for food donations.

“We were expecting the donations to be smaller but not by this much,” she said.

On certain days, Caruana was forced to ask volunteers to leave the food banks because there were no donations to sort out.

“I would say it [donations received] was a bit over half the amount we had in previous years,” she noted.

Caruana and other volunteers believe the drop in donations is a direct result of the food price increases, brought about by widespread inflation.

“We believe that everyone felt the pinch.”

Among the items that were donated less in the past year were packed juices and milk.

“I had to ask volunteers to go to buy milk for family packs,” she said.

“I think certain people see juice as a luxury so they would not buy it. So far, I only have three containers of juices for our packs.”

Formerly known as the St Andrew’s Scots church foodbank, the foundation provides food for a few weeks to families and individuals temporarily facing a crisis.

During the height of the pandemic, the foodbank saw as many as 700 families referred to them, a jump from the 100 they would see before COVID-19 was registered in Malta.

Foodbank Lifeline prepares family food packs that are distributed from its hubs or delivered to those with mobility issues.

The packs include staples like pasta, tea bags, milk, juice, rice and other canned items for three meals a day.

Caruana calculated that donations will last until mid-February, and then the food bank would start to dig into its funds to purchase items in bulk from importers.

But the NGO has faced a drastic jump in prices when buying from suppliers.

In 2020, a family pack would cost the NGO €20.50c – which soared to nearly €30 in 2022.

The biggest shock for Caruana was the increase in the price of rice. She recalls how in 2020 she would spend €1.10. From the same supplier, in October 2022, the price shot up to €2.22.

Majority of referrals are Maltese

Reflecting over the past year, Caruana said at the beginning of 2022 a chunk of referrals were people from mental health institutions and domestic violence cases.

Then, towards the end of the year, most of the foodbank referrals were from people with low incomes.

The majority of referrals are Maltese – 60 per cent.

The food bank also helps a number of Ukrainian families every week.

“What is new is that we have seen an increase in South Americans walking in and asking for donations,” Caruana said.

“Colombians and Venezuelans would walk in and ask for a pack, and we would take down where they are from and their ID card and they would be quite young people.”

2022 also saw an increase in referrals from Gozo.

In May 2020, the foodbank helped 20 families from Gozo but by 2022 the number had risen to 65.

“I personally think the increase is due to the fact that rent is slightly cheaper in Gozo so more families would move there,” Caruana said.

The team drives to Gozo once every three weeks to drop off the food packs.  When asked if there were plans to open a permanent hub in Gozo, she said:

“If anyone has space, we would be more than willing to take it. It would help, as prior to driving to Gozo we have to prepare family packs that can last for three weeks for our clients.

“This had to be our biggest challenge in 2022 – preparing the packs in advance, driving there, and making sure there is enough food for our clients.”

Caruana’s biggest concern for 2023 is the continuous increase in food prices.

“We don’t want to reach a stage where we have to send families away because we don’t have enough donations. Thankfully, so far we have managed, but those thoughts are always at the back of our minds,” she said.

Foodbank Lifeline Foundation operates in Marsa and has distribution points in Valletta, Vittoriosa, Sliema and Qawra.

It is the only foodbank in the country that gives directly to people in need.

For more information on ways you can help, visit foodbanklifeline.com.