The rising cost of living has led to an increase in requests for support, according to industry charity GroceryAid.
In its latest Impact Report, GroceryAid revealed a 44% increase in the number of incidents of support provided over the past year, including a 35% rise in the number of colleagues applying for financial support. This equates to an additional £3.5m being awarded to those in need compared to the previous year.
Attributing this increase to the rise in the cost of living, GroceryAid said that visits to its online financial wellbeing pages, with advice from MoneyHelper, increased by 224% last year, with the budget calculator receiving nearly 3,000 hits alone.
In response to the rising costs of essential goods and services, it launched a cost-of-living advice page on its website which received 6,735 visits within the first six months of launch.
Overall, it provided support on more than 40,000 occasions, with a total welfare spend of £5.6m.
GroceryAid welfare director Mandi Leonard said: “In what has been an incredibly tough 12 months for households across the UK, we are delighted to have helped more grocery colleagues than ever before. Our holistic approach means we provide colleagues with emotional and financial support as well as practical advice and solutions. Our Grant Officers, telephone counsellors and advisors, work closely with colleagues to understand their challenges and ensure we are helping them improve their situation.”
For a full list of support services offered by GroveryAid, click here.
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