More families need help from food, clothing banks

Food banks, clothing banks, and other organizations helping families and singles struggling to make ends meet have noticed a clear uptick in their customers over the past months. A survey by the Poverty Fund Foundation among hundreds of aid organizations found that two-thirds saw an increase in the number of requests for aid, NOS reports.

"There is a group that has been living in structural poverty for a long time, and now people are added who can no longer make ends meet due to the price increases," Irene Verspeek of the Poverty Fund said to NOS. "These are, for example, single parents with children. They could previously buy everything they needed, but now that is no longer possible."

Five percent of aid organizations even have a waiting list for help seekers. On average, people have to wait nearly 50 days before their turn. The Poverty Fund expects that waiting lists will increase. "There will be even more poverty," Verspeek said. "Many people have not yet taken the step to get help. People often struggle about four years before calling for help."