VOA新闻杂志--由于生活成本上涨越来越多的英国人寻求食品援助

People in Great Britain Seek Food Help as Prices Rise

High energy prices and rising food costs mean that people around the world are seeking help with everyday expenses. In Britain, many are turning to places known as food banks to help them be able to eat something healthy each week.

Food banks receive donations from food stores and from individuals who have more than they need. The food banks then pass along items such as bread, milk and vegetables to people who do not have enough to eat.

Some food banks also make meals of their own.

Food banks are important because restaurants and food stores are passing on their higher costs to buyers. But people are having trouble buying food because their earnings¹ are not rising at the same rate as the cost of goods.

Financial problems ahead

In Britain, financial experts think prices will continue to rise. International Monetary² Fund experts believe Britain's economy will grow the slowest among the developed nations in the Group of Seven. The group also includes the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Economists³ say the war in Ukraine is one reason for the fast price increases. The leader of the Bank of England recently said prices could be 10 percent higher by the autumn than they were a year before. Andrew Bailey, the bank's governor, used words such as "shock" and "apocalyptic⁴" to describe the price increases.

Feeling panicked

Michelle Dornelly is one person who is trying to help people deal with the cost increases. She runs a food hub in a poor part of East London called Hackney.

She gets extra food from food stores and gives it to people who do not have enough. She also makes meals, such as spicy⁵ turkey, for people who are hungry.

She said the demand for food has gone up as prices have risen. She used to have enough to keep the hub open until 4 in the afternoon. Now she runs out by 2:30.

She said some people feel "panic."

Rachel Ledwith works for a charity in London that moves extra food to about 1,000 organizations like Dornelly's food hub. She said the group, called the Felix Project, delivered enough food to make 30 million meals in 2021. However, she said, "there's still a huge amount of need out there in London."

Energy costs rise fast

Prices in Great Britain are rising quickly. In April, inflation⁶ hit 9 percent, the highest in 40 years. At the same time, energy costs increased by over 50 percent. The country's energy costs could go up by the same amount again in the autumn.

Benefits go down

Dave Anderson is one person who goes to the food bank. He said he expected prices to rise but he called the current situation "drastic⁷."

He recently had heart surgery and has not been able to work. He gets about $145 from the government every two weeks but that amount does not cover all of his bills.

He said he does not understand why government leaders are letting people suffer.

"I've not even looked at my bills because I think I'd want to sit there and cry," he said.

There are people like Anderson throughout Britain.

A group that runs more than half of the food banks in the country said last winter was one of its busiest ever. The Trussell Trust said its food banks provided 14 percent more in the past year compared to the same time in 2019.

Another organization, The Food Foundation, said recent research showed one in seven British adults had eaten less than usual, skipped meals or gone hungry because they could not pay for food.

Anne Taylor leads The Food Foundation. She said the problem in Great Britain is becoming a health crisis⁸.

"The government needs to realize," she said, "the boat is sinking for many families and it needs to be fixed⁹."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has been criticized for not adding new financial support to its latest budget.

Dornelly said the problem will feel worse in the summer, when children are out of school.

"What happens ... when you've got five screaming children at home?" she asked. "What are you going to do when the gas and electric runs out and you have no food?"

Words in This Story

expenses – n. the amount of money that must be spent regularly to pay for something

shock – adj. something surprising and upsetting

apocalyptic- adj. something that feels like the end of the world

hub– n. a central location

panic- n. a state of extreme fear

charity- n. an organization that helps people for no cost

drastic- adj. a severe or sudden change

skip- v. to go without or to miss something you usually have

scream- v. to cry out in a loud voice

1 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

2 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

3 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 apocalyptic   

adj.预示灾祸的，启示的

参考例句：

• The air is chill and stagnant,the language apocalyptic.空气寒冷而污浊，语言则是《启示录》式的。
• Parts of the ocean there look just absolutely apocalyptic.海洋的很多区域看上去完全像是世界末日。

5 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

6 inflation   

n.胀大，夸张，通货膨胀

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• The inflation of the airbed took several minutes.给空气床垫充气花了几分钟时间。

7 drastic   

adj.严厉的，极端的，激烈的，猛烈的

参考例句：

• His view brings a drastic argument.他的观点引起激烈的争论。
• The situation brings home to us the need for drastic preventive actions.这种情况使我们深切地感到采取极端的行动是必要的。

8 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

9 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。