A record number of working Glaswegians cannot afford to feed their families due to their dire financial situations.
24% of people referred to food banks through the Trussell Trust live in working households, it has been revealed.
Lisa Belletty, the charity's area manager for South and West Scotland, explained: "A growing number of working families are needing to turn to food banks.
"According to our data, these people are in manual and service jobs, including bus drivers, factory workers and hospitality staff.
"Paid employment no longer protects people from hardship."
Disabled people are also at high risk of falling on hard times. Three out of four people who use the services live with somebody who has a disability.
Other vulnerable groups include children and the elderly.
She added: "We see a lot of families. One in four children in Scotland lives in a food-insecure household, based on research. And we do see that reflected in our figures in Glasgow and across Scotland.
"There has been an increase in older people in recent years but that still makes up quite a small proportion of the people that we see at food banks."
Overall, the organisation has seen a hike in the amount of food they give out across their four Glasgow venues, as well as their centres in East Dunbartonshire, Airdrie, Cumbernauld, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire.
Ms Belletty continued: "We recognise at Trussell that it's not a food problem, it's an income problem.
"Sadly, we've seen a really big rise in food parcels.
"In Scotland, between April 2024 and March 2025, we provided 239,503 parcels. That's a 21% increase from five years ago.
"It was relatively static in the last couple of years but demand is at a record high. It's really sad that so many people need support to get the essentials."
The Renfrewshire Gazette is launching our vital Bank on Us campaign for the seventh year in a row, supporting local food banks in the festive period.
We are encouraging our readers to get involved and donate if they can, to ensure every Renfrewshire family has food on the table this Christmas.
You can drop off items at a nearby charity or buy our newspaper on November 21, containing a paper bag you can fill with donations and take to a food bank.
Lisa Belletty added: "I think a lot of people really do want to help, but maybe they've not done so before and they don't really know how to go about this.
"Supporting food banks by providing food is, especially at the moment, a really important thing.
"Anything that you can spare, if you do have something to spare, is always really appreciated."
In the long term, the Trussell Trust hopes to end the need for food banks altogether.
Their campaign, Guarantee Our Essentials, calls for the cost of basics like food, household bills and travel to be covered for every single person in Scotland by the government through social security, including Universal Credit.
This would be especially useful, the manager explained, because many of the service users dip in and out of the centres.
Ms Belletty continued: "Lots of people who come to food banks have had something major happen in their lives in the months and weeks leading up to coming to a food bank.
"They may have had a relationship breakdown, lost a job or they may have had a sudden accident or disability.
"There are also lots of people who've had a major life change and then really needed the support from a food bank."
This festive season, the Renfrewshire Gazette is once again highlighting the work food banks do to ensure families across the city have food on the table.
In the lead-up to Christmas, we will be sharing volunteers’ stories, providing this vital service in association with Allied Vehicles, Arnold Clark, BAE Systems, Glasgow Taxis, Panthera, Scotwest, SPAR, Stagecoach, StepChange Scotland Debt Charity, Smyths Toys, Storage Vault, TPS Scotland and The Wise Group.
On November 21, we will place a bag in every copy of the newspaper and ask our readers to fill it with food items and take it to their local food bank.
You can also donate to our children's Toy Appeal here .
Help us make a difference!
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