THERE were over 2,000 referrals to foodbanks in the area from April to September with 643 of them being children, according to figures released this week.

Statistics revealed by the Trussell Trust showed that based on emergency food aid, the number of referrals in North Ayrshire was 2005 over the five month period.

Overall, the number of foodbank referrals in Scotland has increased to over 60,000 in the last quarter and 44 per cent of these were for benefit delays and cuts.

North Ayrshire Foodbank organiser, Craig Crosthwaite, believes the numbers are too high but has praised the volunteers who help out.

He said: “These figures are far too high and there are too many children and families in the area who are having to depend on foodbanks.

“The help and assistance they receive however from volunteers is heartwarming and I’m just amazed by the compassion of people in our community.

“To see so many people sacrificing so much of themselves to give to others is a fantastic thing to see and hopefully over time we will see people who are desperate for food every day going down.”

Margaret Burgess, MSP for Cunninghame South, is concerned over the figures and believes the UK Government is to blame for the rise.

She said: “These figures are alarming – they represent 2005 occasions where people in North Ayrshire were in such dire straits that they could not afford to eat and on almost 650 occasions this happened to a family with children.

“The figures also confirm that UK Government benefit changes and delays continue to be the most common reason for people seeking emergency food aid. While Tory Ministers have their head in the sand on the issue, the Scottish Government recognises this link and is spending almost £300 million over three years to mitigate Tory social security cuts.

“We must not let up on our opposition to these callous cuts. And if they do go ahead, we stand ready to protect low income households.”