Inside the Hackney food bank head office, volunteers are busy sorting through donations and creating food parcels to be distributed at the next day's food bank.
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As a result of the cost of living crisis, thousands of people in Hackney are struggling to afford basic needs.
New figures reveal that a quarter of people in Hackney are unable to consistently afford food for their household. Office for Health, Improvement and Disparities figures show 26% (66,437) of the borough’s residents are suffering from food poverty.
A food parcel that volunteers made up at Hackney Food Bank offices. The parcel will be distributed to a family at the food bank centre the next day (Source: Zara Duncan for City News)
Due to the alarming food poverty rates in the borough, local residents, MPs, councillors and representatives from Hackney Food Bank came together to talk about how they were going to tackle the issue in a conference called ‘Hackney Right To Food’.
At the conference, there were workshops and speeches on how to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition in the area. This included ‘Building a Hackney Right to Food Campaign,’ and ‘Food in the Community and Local Food Growing’.
Who can change the outcome?
The speakers unanimously stated that the root cause of food poverty lies with the government. They believed that while they can do their part and help, it is the government that can make a real difference.
The head of policy and research at the Trussell Trust, Rachel Bull, told City News “We are urging the UK government to create an ‘Essentials Guarantee.'” This would mean “making sure the standard rate of Universal Credit always… provides enough to cover the cost of essentials such as food, utilities, and vital household goods”.
Christmas is the busiest time of the year for Hackney Food Bank
Farhan Jasin, the Community Change Manager at Hackney Food Bank told City News that Christmas is the busiest time of year for food banks. This is because households are inviting people round for Christmas and need food for this. As it is the coldest time of the year, people are spending more money on heating and have to sacrifice food also.
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HeadlineFood poverty in Hackney is at an all time high
Short HeadlineFood poverty in Hackney increasing
StandfirstThousands of people living in the London Borough of Hackney cannot afford to feed themselves due to the cost of living crisis.
As a result of the cost of living crisis, thousands of people in Hackney are struggling to afford basic needs.
New figures reveal that a quarter of people in Hackney are unable to consistently afford food for their household. Office for Health, Improvement and Disparities figures show 26% (66,437) of the borough’s residents are suffering from food poverty.
A food parcel that volunteers made up at Hackney Food Bank offices. The parcel will be distributed to a family at the food bank centre the next day (Source: Zara Duncan for City News)
Due to the alarming food poverty rates in the borough, local residents, MPs, councillors and representatives from Hackney Food Bank came together to talk about how they were going to tackle the issue in a conference called ‘Hackney Right To Food’.
At the conference, there were workshops and speeches on how to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition in the area. This included ‘Building a Hackney Right to Food Campaign,’ and ‘Food in the Community and Local Food Growing’.
Who can change the outcome?
The speakers unanimously stated that the root cause of food poverty lies with the government. They believed that while they can do their part and help, it is the government that can make a real difference.
The head of policy and research at the Trussell Trust, Rachel Bull, told City News “We are urging the UK government to create an ‘Essentials Guarantee.'” This would mean “making sure the standard rate of Universal Credit always… provides enough to cover the cost of essentials such as food, utilities, and vital household goods”.
Christmas is the busiest time of the year for Hackney Food Bank
Farhan Jasin, the Community Change Manager at Hackney Food Bank told City News that Christmas is the busiest time of year for food banks. This is because households are inviting people round for Christmas and need food for this. As it is the coldest time of the year, people are spending more money on heating and have to sacrifice food also.
