Food banks across Northern Ireland are staring down the barrel of closure, which is the kind of thing you'd think would trigger a bigger response than a politely worded emergency appeal. According to the Trussell Trust, the anti-poverty charity, some food banks are now having to pay for 30-50% of the food they supply - a fun new twist on the traditional model of, you know, being donated food.

Enniskillen Foodbank's project manager Paul Dickson put it bluntly: the operation has enough money for "two months of running costs" before it runs out. He described the situation as "bleak," a word doing a lot of heavy lifting there. "Our ongoing expenses are continuing and donations are not keeping pace," he told Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme. Enniskillen Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust network, which can provide support for another three months. "That isn't enough to last a year," Dickson said, in what may qualify as the understatement of the year. "It's brilliant to get that support from the trust but... we need to create network of relationships locally that help make foodbanks sustainable."

Dickson noted a drop in donations at supermarkets, though he acknowledged that things are simply becoming more expensive for everyone. "Part of the Trussell ethos is that we don't believe that we should be needed, but unfortunately, we are needed at the minute and we need to be here for the people that rely on us."

Over in West Belfast, South-West Belfast Foodbank on the Stewartstown Road has had to "significantly reduce" the sizes of its parcels. Edel Diamond from the food bank said they are struggling with stock, which is "really upsetting because you've got families coming to you that aren't really coping." She's thankful they aren't turning people away, but the whole thing is distressing. "It seems to me like one cost-of-living crisis is just rolling into another and it doesn't seem to have gone away," she said, adding that rising energy costs have a knock-on effect on charities. "We're not just a food bank, we are places of comfort for people, places where people can come and find that hope. We want to see the end for the need for food banks, but at this immediate time we are in crisis and we're urgently appealing for donations of food and finance."

Fiona Cole, from Trussell Trust in Northern Ireland, called it "heartbreaking" to see food banks in this position, noting that stress on food bank managers and volunteers is increasing on a daily basis. By the numbers: 67,851 parcels were distributed in Northern Ireland in 2025, with 26,459 of those given to children. In the last four to six weeks, food banks have faced a crisis in terms of stock levels. "Our biggest fear is that our food banks are prematurely forced to drastically reduce their support, or worse, close their doors because the income they receive falls short and they can no longer afford their household essentials," Cole said.

She suggested fewer donations could be the result of people struggling with the cost of living and having to cut their own budgets. "Our lifelong contributors, they would give us five pounds of food or £10 of food every time they go to shop in a supermarket," Cole said. "That £10 of food is just simply not the same amount as what you would have got even six months ago." Three food banks have contacted the Trust directly about concerns with stock and finance, and six in total have put out emergency appeals for donations on social media. Food banks have also had to close distribution centres or reduce their hours.

Cole said there needs to be sustainable funding for food banks to operate, along with support from government and the Northern Assembly. Meanwhile, a Trussell Trust report found that food banks had been distributing fewer parcels in 2025 than the peak seen in 2023. "Wider data suggests there has been a corresponding fall in need for food banks, not just use," Cole said - a small silver lining in an otherwise thoroughly grim cloud, assuming the need isn't just going unmet.