Ramadan volunteers to give food to students
Volunteers will give out hundreds of food parcels to hungry students during Ramadan.Businessman Imran Bahar handed out more than 100 packages a day in Middlesbrough when he did the same thing last year, saying: "You can see in their eyes that [students] are struggling."The National Union of Students (NUS) said students "clearly need more money in their pockets" and that the number of students using food banks had doubled to 14%.The Department of Education said it was taking steps to offer more financial support to students.
Mr Bahar said students in Middlesbrough town centre, especially those from other countries and poor backgrounds, were struggling to find work and to eat."It's difficult for them to even find a job, there aren't enough jobs here," he said.He and his 11-year-old daughter Zaira handed out meals for three days a week during the religious period last year, and often gave out between 100 and120 packs a day.
Mr Bahar said they had "massive queues" last year."It kind of humbles you," he said, adding: "It shows how important food actually is."Ramadan is expected to begin on 28 February and will end on 30 March.What are Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan and how do Muslims mark them?
NUS President Amira Campbell said students from working class and low-income backgrounds were "more likely to be going hungry and skipping meals".She said international students were only allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours a week and received no maintenance support from the government.Student money expert at Save the Student Tom Allingham said no single institution could solve the problem.Its latest survey found 9% of respondents had used a food bank in the last 12 months.Mr Allingham said: "While this was down on the previous year, it's still far too high, and yet another indicator that the cost of living crisis is lingering on for students."Teesside University, whose main campus is in Middlesbrough, said it was actually seeing a decrease in the number of students accessing its existing support there and in the community.A university spokesperson said: "We recognise that across all sectors of society the cost of living crisis is having an impact, and applaud any efforts to help disadvantaged people and support community cohesion."A Department for Education spokesperson said the government would "fix the foundations of higher education to deliver change for students". They said maximum loans would be increased in line with inflation to support students with living costs.
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