Food banks hope to give Britain ’ s ‘ hidden poor ’ a festive Christmas

Michele Lawrence, the manager of a Trussell Trust food bank in the London borough of Brent, recalls the moment four years ago when she decided to put on a Christmas Eve lunch for anyone in need in her community, and their children. “A lady came to the food bank and asked me if we were going to be open just before Christmas. When I said no, she said, ‘Oh well, that’s bread and sardines for Christmas dinner again.’ “I said, ‘Right, come back and see me on Christmas Eve’. Then I walked down the road to the butchers and said, ‘We’re the local food bank, Christmas is around the corner and people are saying they won’t have Christmas dinner. Can you give me a box of chicken?’ When he did, I decided to try a few more stores. Everyone that we went to said yes.” That Christmas, Michele cooked a Jamaican Christmas dinner to feed 50 people. More than 80 turned up. This year she is expecting two hundred. As well as a meal on the day, they will also be taking home festive food hampers, winter coats and scarves and Xmas presents, all of which have been donated by local individuals, schools and businesses. “A lot of people might know that food banks exist, but I don’t think they fully understand what people are having to live through every single day in this county,” says Michele, whose food bank is in one of the most deprived boroughs in the capital. “We have mothers who are skipping meals to make sure their children eat. We know parents who take their ch...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Magazine food banks poverty there for you Source Type: news