Midwest Simon has expressed concern that Clare people will still be under pressure from moneylenders long after the pandemic is over.
New figures from the charity show the number of people suffering from food poverty jumped by 73% here during the pandemic, with requests for food aid increasing from 1,804 in the first three months of the year, to 3,116 between April and June.
The charity’s CEO says families experienced additional hardship during the first lockdown due to increased costs associated with keeping children at home, on top of financial problems associated with losing hours at work or being forced into unemployment.
Jackie Bonfield says plans need to be put in place now to protect families from financial hardship, if the country is forced into another unexpected lockdown in the future.
