A total of 9,900 individuals accepted food donations from the charity Fjölskylduhjálp Íslands last December, up from 5,000 in December 2010. The charity declared the situation to be poor but expects it to continue to worsen this year.

A grocery store in Iceland. Many people rely on food donations. Archive photo by ESA.

The number of people on disability pensions who sought assistance from the charity in December 2011 increased by 115 percent and pensioners by 204 percent, the charity said in a statement referenced in Morgunblaðið.

“We believe this is only the tip of the iceberg because there are thousands of individuals out in society who cannot make ends meet every month but don’t seek assistance,” the statement reads, mentioning examples of people who only consume water for days.

“Now we prepare for 2012 which we expect will be very difficult and we expect a significant increase in people who are forced to turn to us,” the statement concludes.

At the charity Mæðrastyrksnefnd Reykjavíkur 500 individuals and families on average accepted food donations per week in 2011 and 2,500 people received a special Christmas donation in December.

At the Icelandic Church Aid the final statistics aren’t available but 925 people accepted vouchers which could be used in exchange for food or cash to buy necessities in December.

 iceland