More British turn to food banks as bills soar

Friday, May 27, 2022 - 01:00

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 For many struggling families, older people and the homeless, Michelle Dornelly’s food hub in East London has been a lifeline. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Britain, she has been collecting surplus groceries from supermarkets and distributing them to people who can't afford to buy food.

对于许多陷入困境的家庭、老年人和无家可归的人来说，米歇尔·多内利(Michelle Dornelly)位于东伦敦的美食中心一直是他们的生命线。自新冠肺炎疫情爆发以来，她一直在超市收集多余的食品杂货，分发给买不起食品的人。

lifeline /ˈlaɪflaɪn/ n. 1.（水上救援的）救生索。2.（深海潜水员的）信号绳。3.命脉；生命线•The extra payments are a lifeline for most single mothers. 额外补助对大多数单身母亲来说都是赖以生存的生命线。

Dornelly offers groceries and free hot meals every week to several dozen regulars in Hackney, an inner London borough with high rates of inequality: almost half of all children there are in poverty. Since the winter, at least 30 to 40 new people have been referred to her, she says.

Dornelly每周向哈克尼区的几十名常客提供食品杂货和免费热餐。哈克尼是伦敦的一个行政区，贫富不均的情况非常严重：那里几乎一半的孩子都处于贫困之中。她说，从去年冬天开始，至少有30到40个人被介绍给她。

borough  /ˈbʌrə/  n. 自治市镇；（城市）行政区• the London borough of Westminster 伦敦的威斯敏斯特自治市

The cost of food and fuel in the U.K. has risen sharply, with inflation reaching 9% in April — the highest in 40 years. The same month, millions of families saw their annual energy bills jump by 54%, amounting to an extra 700 Pounds (US$ 863) a year on average for each household. Another energy price hike is expected in October, as Russia’s war in Ukraine and rebounding demand after the pandemic push oil and natural gas prices higher.

英国食品和燃料价格大幅上涨，4月份通胀率达到9%，为40年来最高。同月，数百万家庭的年度能源账单上涨了54%，平均每个家庭每年多支付700英镑(863美元，约5924元)。随着俄罗斯在乌克兰的战争和疫情后需求反弹推高石油和天然气价格，预计10月将再次上调能源价格。

All of our organisations are reaching out to us saying, ‘We need more food,’ more families are approaching us. The people we’re seeing have got even less to make ends meet,” said Rachel Ledwith, head of community engagement at the Felix Project, a charity that redistributes surplus groceries from the food industry to about 1,000 charities and schools across London. - THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

“我们所有的组织都向我们伸出援手，说到：’我们需要更多的食物’，越来越多的家庭向我们求助。我们看到的这些人甚至连收支平衡的能力都没有。”费利克斯项目(Felix Project)的社区参与负责人蕾切尔·莱德维兹(Rachel Ledwith)说。费利克斯项目是一家慈善机构，将食品行业多余的食品杂货重新分配给伦敦各地约1000家慈善机构和学校。（悉尼先驱晨报）

herald  /ˈherəld/ 动词1.是（某事）的前兆；预示 。•These talks could herald a new era of peace. 这些谈判可能预示着新的和平时代的来临。2.~ sb/sth (as sth)宣布（好或重要）•The report is being heralded as a blueprint for the future of transport. 这份报告被宣称是未来运输的蓝图。名词1.预兆 •The government claims that the fall in unemployment is the herald of economic recovery. 政府宣称失业人数减少是经济复苏的先兆。 2.（旧时的）信使，传令官，使者

英文链接：http://www.dailynews.lk/2022/05/27/world/279635/more-british-turn-food-banks-bills-soar