Feed the foodbanks!
The school holidays are a difficult time for many families on lower incomes. Those whose children would normally receive free school meals and working parents on zero hour contracts or minimum wage jobs cannot afford childcare for the long school holidays. There are amazing projects like the Southwark Community Hub which run throughout the holidays and the council has been advertising a range of summer events to help local kids: https://www.cschub.co.uk/ but foodbanks soak up even greater pressure at this time.
The Trussell Trust is the largest national foodbank and last year helped half a million children, including 1,637 in Southwark. As founder and chair of the parliamentary group on foodbanks I work very closely with them on their projects and every week I need to refer local people in need to them. They do brilliant work and are a life line to many – but it is simply disgraceful that they have to exist at all. Systematic and pernicious cuts uder the Lib Dem/Tory coalition and current Government, including the disastrous Universal Credit, have trapped people in debt and destitution and driven child poverty levels to their highest in fifteen years.
Today, the Trussell Trust has put out an emergency call for extra help due to manage the additional demand over the school holidays. Southwark Foodbank urgently need:
Fruit Juice (UHT, Cartons)
Tinned Meat
Rice Pudding
Milk (UHT/Carton)
Toiletries (including sanitary items, shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes)
Washing Powder
Jam
Cooking Sauces
They can be donated in most major supermarkets or at the locations online here: https://southwark.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/Alternatively you can drop them off to me at my office 149 Jamaica Road, SE16 4SH and I will make sure the supplies get to them or directly to people in need.
