A short animated documentary revealing an intimate view into the real human stories and perspectives of people who have needed the support of food banks.

WATCH THE FILM

Each year, millions of people in the UK cannot afford to eat and must turn to food banks to put food on the table. This documentary film delves into the first-hand experiences of people using food banks, telling the human stories that are so often overlooked.Through intimate interviews and hand-drawn animation, we gain a powerful insight into the reasons people need this support, the journeys that led them there and the public stigma around accessing food banks. We also hear from people working at the heart of these institutions, who offer their own insights into the crisis.

THE VOICES

Three interviewees with personal experience using food banks tell the stories of how they ended up in a position they never imagined they would be in.

"SARAH"

"I never expected to have to go to a food bank and ask for the help that I had to ask for."

"MATT"

"We had enough money to afford everything that we wanted, within reason."

"LISA"

"It honestly wasn't in my foresight that I was going to have to access these things."

WHY THIS MATTERS

Millions of people in the UK are forced to rely on food banks every year because they simply cannot afford to feed themselves. This is evidenced by the following:

  • In 2024-2025, the UK's largest food bank network (Trussell) issued 2.9 million emergency food parcels. This equates to 1 emergency food parcel every 11 seconds.

  • There are at least 2700 food banks currently operating in the UK.

  • 14.1 million people in the UK are currently facing hunger because they simply cannot afford to buy enough food.

Universal Credit is intended to provide a safety net for those who are struggling, yet research shows it is not enough to cover essential living costs.

TRAILER

TAKE ACTION

UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES

Food Banks & Food Insecurity

A deeper look at the alarming levels of food bank use and food insecurity in the UK, as well as the types of people affected.

Universal Credit & Cost of Living

Learn about the current issues with Universal Credit levels and the campaign to raise it so that people can afford essential living costs.

WRITE TO YOUR MP

Use your voice to call for action on food poverty and food insecurity. Contact your local MP and ask what is being done to tackle the issue.We’ve prepared a draft email to get you started. Simply copy and paste into an email, personalising the message if you’d like, then find your MP using the link below, and send it directly to them.

SUBJECT: Action for ongoing food poverty and food insecurity in the UKDear [name of your MP],I am writing to you as a concerned constituent to ask what action you are taking, and what more you believe can be done, to address food poverty and food insecurity in our community and across the UK.In a nation as advanced and developed as ours, it is unacceptable that food insecurity continues to affect so many people across the country, and so many households struggle to afford enough food alongside their other essential living costs. Food banks and other community organisations provide vital support, but they cannot solve the underlying causes of food insecurity, which desperately need addressing at government level.I recently watched CRUNCH POINT, a short documentary film exploring food poverty through the experiences and perspectives of people who have experienced it themselves and have needed the support of food banks. It prompted me to get in touch and ask what is being done to eradicate the need for food banks in the UK and ensure that people can always afford the essentials they need to survive.I would be grateful if you could respond with some answers to the below questions:• What steps are you taking to address food poverty and food insecurity in our area?
• What policies do you believe should be introduced to tackle the underlying causes of food insecurity across the UK?
• How are you working to ensure that people in our community can afford essential living costs without having to rely on emergency food support?I would appreciate a response outlining your position and detailing any action you are currently taking, or action you plan to take, on this issue.Thank you for your time.Kind regards,[Your name]

SUPPORT, DONATE & VOLUNTEER

Click on the charity logos below to learn more and find out what you can do to support them.

DISCLAIMER:
The organisations and resources listed here are provided as a starting point for further information and action. We encourage you to explore each organisation's work and approach before donating or volunteering. Some of the organisations featured on this page have supported the development of the film by providing information, expertise or opportunities to engage with the issues explored in the film. However, the film was completely independently produced and funded by Glass Eye, and we have not received funding from any of the organisations listed. Inclusion on this page does not imply endorsement or formal partnership unless explicitly stated.

ABOUT THE FILM

OUR INSPIRATION

This film was born out of a fairly simple concern. A few years ago, it felt like there was a lot of coverage about food banks in the news. Overwhelmingly though, the subject seemed to be approached in a very impersonal manner. Somewhere along the way, the humanity seemed to have been lost.There were real people at the heart of this, people struggling to feed themselves and their families to such an extent that they were needing to seek out emergency food parcels from charities. Amidst the bombardment of news headlines and weaponisation of the issue amongst politicians for the trading of political blows, the actual people struggling had been forgotten about. We wanted to give an insight into these people’s stories to convey how easily people can find themselves in these circumstances that they never imagined possible.

OUR INTERVIEWEES

Our main interviewees' stories are of three driven and hard-working individuals who, through circumstances largely beyond their control, found themselves in the hugely difficult position of needing the support of a food bank.We are very grateful to the interviewees for trusting us with such personal experiences, sharing not only what led them to a food bank in the first place, but how it felt to walk in for the first time and deal with the stigma associated with this. Their participation and honesty contributes to bringing humanity, understanding and empathy back to conversations around food banks.Our other interviewees, Jonathan Lees and Areefih “Fifi” Forrest, have also offered invaluable insights from the perspective of working at food banks.

OUR PRODUCTION PROCESS

We knew early on that we wanted to use hand-drawn animation to bring this film to life. We filmed our interviews and used the footage as visual cues from which to animate. Our animators created two distinct style mockups and we decided to use both; one for the scenes in the interview room and one for the scenes visualising our interviewees' experiences.The process of translating the stories into animation involved sketching out very rough storyboards, which we would gradually tweak until we were happy with the content, before fully illustrating and animating in colour. The hand-drawn animation process is naturally time consuming, but we were willing to accept putting the hours in to ensure we were doing our interviewees’ stories justice and producing a beautifully animated film with real emotion.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

WRITER & DIRECTOR

William Taylor
Will is Head of Production at Glass Eye. He conceived, wrote, directed and produced Crunch Point, leading the project from initial idea through to final release.This is his first film, which emerged from a desire to apply his experience building narrative within short-form promotional content to a longer format. He wanted to do this whilst uncovering real stories that challenge assumptions and shift perspectives around social issues.

PRODUCER

Saffron Wilding Mackenzie
Saffron is Managing Director and co-founder of Glass Eye. She and our other co-founder, Dan Light, were instrumental in getting the project underway. Following Will discussing the idea of producing an original documentary with them, they gave the green light to pursue the project and generously provided funding.Saffron worked with Will on researching and developing the film, whilst also helping to produce both the edit and the animation.

HAND-DRAWN ANIMATORS

Alona Skidan
Alona is an illustrator and freelance designer at Glass Eye. She originated and executed the hand-drawn animation style depicting our interviewees in front of the camera.Mike O'Brien
Mike is also an illustrator and freelance designer at Glass Eye. He originated our second hand-drawn animation style, storyboarding and animating our interviewees' stories to visualise their experiences in an emotive way.

ORIGINAL SCORE

John Mackenzie
John is a musician and also works as an editor for Glass Eye. He composed and recorded the main music track in the film, titled "Centre Point", which sets the emotional tone and features throughout.
He has also contributed towards the editing and sound design.

Glass Eye is a creative marketing agency specialising in producing eye-catching video, artwork and animation for the biggest names in entertainment.

CONTACT US

PRIVACY POLICY

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