We love where we are in London. A thriving melting pot of culture full of interesting people and businesses.
But equally, just down the road from us is our local foodbank. It exists to support those in crisis or suffering from poverty by providing emergency parcels. These normally include food, but stretch to other household essentials such as nappies, sanitary pads, and deodorant, for example.
And the pressure is mounting on Hackney Foodbank this winter as the cost-of-living crisis tightens and wages and benefits fail to keep pace.
Demand for the food bank increased by 66% between January and October this year (compared with the same period last year). The charity has seen a 95% increase in the number of over 65-year-olds needing emergency food parcels and a 51% increase in demand from single parent households. The foodbank is in particular demand for canned food, washing up liquid, and sanitary pads, amongst a few other basic essentials.
So, we’ve decided to use the money we would be spending on gifts and physical Christmas cards to instead donate and give something back to the community we feel such a part of. And we created this charming digital card to tell everyone what we’re doing.
Jenna Fansa, of Hackney Foodbank, said:
“We’re so very grateful to AML for their support. The winter brings particular challenges for households in poverty; many people struggle to heat their homes and we’re regularly hearing from people who skip meals because the cupboards are empty. Food prices increased by 28% in the past two years and here in Hackney rents are particularly high. Our supporters are feeling the pinch too – as demand goes up, donations of food have gone down and our team is working tirelessly to make sure nobody in our community goes hungry.”
“This Christmas, as well as giving out emergency food parcels to people experiencing hardship, we’ll be giving toys to children who would otherwise be unlikely to receive one and we have some festive treats for our visitors.”
Hackney Foodbank was set up 11 years ago and now has six distribution centres across Hackney. Visitors are referred to the charity by a range of organisations. The food bank typically provides emergency food for around 550 people per week and distributes 14 tonnes of food every month.
They’re urging people to set up regular monthly-giving to ensure nobody goes hungry – donations made in this way often have the added benefit of Gift Aid, which makes them go 25% further. The charity, which is based in Hoxton, is part of the Trussell Trust’s Guarantee Our Essentials campaign – urging politicians to ensure Universal Credit keeps pace with the real cost of living and guarantees life’s essentials.
If you want to learn more about what Hackney Foodbank do, click here.
And if you would like to join us making a donation, click here.
Thank you.
