Supporting our churches providing help for those who aren’t able to afford enough food
Over half of churches across the Diocese of London, often through ecumenical partnerships, are serving their communities around Food Insecurity.
This is often through either hosting Foodbanks or being collection points for them. It can also mean running Food Pantries, local food co-operatives and distributing excess waste food through partners like the Felix Project.
Many churches also offer lunch clubs or hot meal services for the isolated and elderly, food as part of homelessness provision, and in some cases even community cooking clubs to help people cook on low incomes and eat together.
While we thank God for this range of ministry and mission, to those who are hungry, we also pray and want to work intentionally and urgently for a day when it is not needed, because every Londoner can afford to feed themselves and their families.
Foodbank Map
The church-based foodbanks we know are operating in the Diocese of London are mapped HERE.
If this map is missing out one that you know about- please let us know!
Helpful organisations
- Trussell Trust - how to set up a foodbank
- Feeding Britain - sustainable food clubs and food pantries
- Your Local Pantry (Church Action on Poverty) - how to set up a food pantry
- The Felix Project - distributes fresh donated food in London for free
Good examples/articles
- Food Banks are only a short-term solution - a helpful article from the Church Times
- St Giles Food Pantry – there are 3 in London, with two of those in the Diocese of London
Campaigns
Cost of Living
We support the Trussell Trust Campaign “The True Cost of Living” which asks MPs to call for a stronger social security system that supports people every day, not just in times of national crisis.
Modern Slavery
We also support the work of The Clewer Initiative, who are raising awareness of the risks of modern slavery in our foodbanks. Traffickers sometimes use foodbanks as a way to recruit people, as well as feed victims at no cost to themselves. Displaying these posters in your foodbank can be a means of raising awareness amongst foodbank users, as well as staff and volunteers, about how to spot the signs of modern slavery and what you can do. You can download the two versions of the poster HERE for foodbank users and HERE for foodbank staff and volunteers
Do get involved.
Blogs
Cook Together: A Community Cooking Club
Jo Davey, from St Mary’s, Hornsey Rise, describes how their ‘Cook Together’ club provides support, friendship and community to those in their community experiencing food poverty and isolation.
Beyond Food Parcels: Holistic Support for Families on the Edge
Gloria Saffrey-Powell and her team at CARIS Haringey are providing much more than food parcels to families on the edge in their local community.
Food Pantries: An Example in West London
Elizabeth Welch is involved in the “Your Local pantry” set up in Westbourne Park Baptist church - a longer term alternative to foodbanks for those on low incomes who are struggling with food insecurity.
Foodbanks During Covid 19: Reflections from the Front (Part 1)
Daphine Aikens reflects on a really extraordinary few weeks in the life of her foodbank in Hammersmith & Fulham, and what the future might look like
Foodbanks During Covid 19: Reflections from the Front (Part 2)
Rev Alice Smith (nee Whalley) reflects on what she thought lockdown might mean for her parish and what the reality has been, which has meant feeding a lot of people
A Place Where All Are Welcome
St Saviours Sunbury provides a community lunch, which draws large numbers of people from around the parish it’s a place of warmth and energy.
Partners
Trussell Trust
Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN)
Your Local Pantry
