Food poverty in the UK is real. In Bristol, 26% of children live in households where there isn’t enough money to support a nutritionally balanced diet. That figure just seems so shocking to me. I mean yes, we’re a big city but we’re also a prosperous one. In January, Bristol was named the happiest city in the UK, it’s one of the top 10 places in Europe for tech, it’s the UK’s first cycling city and in 2015, became Europe’s first green capital. This is a thriving city and yet over a quarter of its children are affected by food insecurity. Imagine what those figures are like in places less affluent?
Following on from my live below the line challenge last week, I was out of bed before 6am two days on the trot to continue my education into food poverty. This time thanks to FareShare South West and the launch of their #BigBreakfastWeek – promoting the importance of a good breakfast in the fight against child hunger. On Tuesday I found myself at the Bristol FareShare depot, eating mushrooms on toast cooked by Josh Eggleton and drinking coffee before listening to their team and donors talk about the wonderful work they do. The occasion? The official opening of their new large fridge (and by large I mean huge) which will allow them to store and distribute more fresh and perishable foods to those who need it most.
What does FareShare actually do?
With 22 regional depots all over the country, FareShare is the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste. They take surplus food from the food industry and distribute it to charities, schools and local community groups who then turn it into meals for those who need it most. This means FareShare are tackling two major issues at once: food poverty and food waste.
The Bristol team totals close to 150 and is made up mostly of volunteers. Over the last year, they’ve grown their school programme from 20 to 35 schools and from 30 to 61 holiday projects. They are heavily involved with schools all over the city and supply bread, cereal, fruit, eggs and whatever else they get donated. These are usually used to feed pupils at free breakfast clubs.
Breakfast Club
At the FareShare South West warehouse, we heard from Julie, the ‘food lady’ from Evergreen Primary School in Easton. She told us how important the club is and how FareShare is making such a positive difference. The following morning, I was lucky to see her in action at her club. Evergreen Primary School run one of the largest in the city. They regularly feed 100-150 people. These aren’t just pupils, their families and siblings come along too for the guarantee of a decent breakfast and hot drink to start the day with.
I joined some of the team from 91 Ways to run some cookery activities for the kids alongside FareShare South West. Over the course of 2 hours, before school, we did chopping, mixing and generally made a mess. The idea though, was to encourage the children to try new flavours and skills. As well as the usual food on offer for the children (toast, cereals, fruit etc..) we were creating a toasted oats, yoghurt and fruit dish and Indian spiced beans.
91 ways – helping create a global city
Headed up by Kalpna Woolf, they are a social enterprise named for the 91 languages spoken in Bristol. They run events in schools and community spaces to share recipes and food stories which help connect groups who have never come into contact with one another before.
I was honoured to join the 91 ways team for what turned out to be a chaotic, messy, fun, engaging and pure delight of a morning. The children were enthusiastic and curious and we all had a wonderful time. I was surprised at how brave the children were – asking me questions and getting involved immediately – although it was a little scary when they all descended at once.
If you want to get involved with FareShare, take a look to find your nearest depot. You can donate in a number of ways. Donate cash or volunteer your time. They are always looking for more people to help them out. Food poverty isn’t as obvious in the UK as it might be elsewhere in the world but its there. Breakfast clubs like this one provide a vital service by stopping kids from going hungry and this article from the BBC and the Trussell Trust explains it better than I can so I’ll finish on this quote:
“Hunger during childhood can have a ripple effect that we are only just beginning to understand. The long-term physical and psychological consequences of hunger are serious and have implications for the health of society itself.”
