# We are failing too many people No one should need to seek free food – including Marc. Despite being fully qualified in his profession, and having 20 years' experience, he had been out of work for two years when he turned for help from his local [Foodshare](http://www.foodshare.co.uk/cms/). He had been actively seeking work through his local job centre but Marc’s situation was made all the more difficult when he was sanctioned by the Department for Work and Pensions. The decision left him unable to afford to eat and, out of desperation, he turned to the Foodshare. “I don’t feel bad about coming here” he said, adding: “I feel angry that I’ve been put in this situation.” And so he should. > **In Britain today, the five richest families in the UK have more money than the 12.6 million poorest people combined.** More than 870,000 Scots are living in poverty and more and more of them have little choice but to seek emergency food support. Their current income is not enough to cover even their basic needs. Welfare reforms, stagnant wages, rising utility bills, higher living costs and job insecurity are all causing people to fall below the breadline. Our existing economic model is failing too many people, and not just those without jobs. Many people in jobs are also struggling on incomes that fail to cover their basic needs. Whether someone is in work or unable to work, they should have access to a decent income that lets them live with dignity. To get there we must shift our economic compass. Politicians currently rely too heavily on rising gross domestic product (GDP) figures as an indicator of success. In reality, GDP tells us little, if anything, about the quality or distribution of growth. Too many communities in Scotland fail to benefit from rising economic growth. That’s why we want politicians to examine wider [measures](http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/our-work/poverty-in-the-uk/humankind-index) when assessing the impact of their policies. We must also recognise and challenge the shocking scale of income [inequality](http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/a-tale-of-two-britains-inequality-in-the-uk-314152) in our society. In Britain today, the five richest families in the UK have more money than the 12.6 million poorest people combined. That means just five households have more wealth than 20% of the entire UK population. This is a sign of economic failure not success. It is a result of political choices that can be reversed. And you can help. [Oxfam](http://www.oxfam.org.uk/scotland) is working with other charities across Scotland to highlight the scale and causes of poverty in our rich country. By sharing and discussing [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An2MTdtdtOA) you can show your support. **Oxfam Scotland is a partner organisation in the [Scotland’s Outlook campaign](http://scotlandsoutlook.org/). We want people to get angry and get active in the fight against poverty in Scotland.** --- ## About SCVO SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector. Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact. SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector. Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners. Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored learning opportunities. SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience. Discounts and savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org). For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)