An international development charity has opened its first food bank in the UK in response to the country's cost-of-living crisis.
The Human Relief Foundation (HRF), which was set up in 1991 to provide relief to victims of the Iraq war, opened the food bank in Birmingham last week and plans to open a second in Bradford, where the charity is based, later this month.
In a statement, HRF wrote: “We believe we have a moral duty to help those at home and abroad. HRF recognises the importance of food banks to millions of people in the UK and how many families go hungry and are unable to afford essentials.”
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said on Twitter that the charity opening UK food banks is an example of “how bad” things have become.
He wrote: “After a summer of doing nothing the government has finally done nowhere near enough.
“Things are so bad that Human Relief which has spent 30 years focused entirely on aid to the world’s poorest countries, has opened a food bank in Birmingham.”
The charity, which had an income of £9.5m in 2020 and operates in countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, responded by saying it believes charity begins at home.
“HRF believes charity begins at home, here in the UK. In our eyes, our role in the local and national community have always been a priority. Humanitarian aid knows no borders or limits. The impact and difference, is what we aim to achieve,” it said.
There are approximately 2,574 food banks in operation in the UK, which is more than the branches of McDonald's and Starbucks in the country combined.
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