Well there has always been food associated with charity - for several decades....and just read Dicken's Christmas Carol to realise that they were active in the mid 19thC.
However wealthy society, or not, witness the USA, Switzerland China and Nigeria to name but four at different parts of the richness scale, there are down and outs so it isn't necessarily economic, though I accept it is in part, particularly the numbers being seen this year.
So Food Banks are a necessity I would argue for.....a shame perhaps, but a necessity and better than doing nowt. Your argument I believe is skewed by your political thinking and unemployment numbers, which are now turning, thank God, and the number of new jobs keeps on bouncing upwards, something that the Labour Party do not like. Skewed geographically yes, but growth has to start somewhere and be built on.
So overall, yes, thank goodness we have them and the charity of those who provide at this time of year (and other times).