One in seven people worried about affording Christmas in Lewes as campaign launched to end hunger
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Lewes District Food Partnership is raising money to support ten community food projects to combat the growing number of people using foodbank services in the area.
Debbie Twitchen, chair of Landport Foodbank, said: “Foodbanks are not ‘normal’ and should never become acceptable as so. It is still shocking that so many people find they have no other option than to turn to what is in the main, a group of volunteers to help them survive.
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Hide Ad"Children are going hungry and people are at their wits end and it is as a direct result of a benefits system that is inadequate at best and ultimately is trapping more and more people in a spiral of debt and insecurity.”
Food poverty is defined by the Department of Health as ‘The inability to afford, or to have access to, food to make up a healthy diet’.
Across the Lewes District, one in seven people are report to be feeling worried about how they are going to afford food at Christmas time.
In 2022, Lewes District emergency food network provided food to over 500 households each week. As the cost of living crisis deepens, demand on emergency food providers is higher than ever.
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Hide AdFitzjohns Food Bank, Havens Food Coop, Landport Food Bank & Community Café, Malling Food Bank, Newhaven Baptist Church Food Bank, Newhaven & Peacehaven Community Supermarkets and Seahaven Storehouse will all receive an equal share of the donations.
Stef Lake, chair of Lewes District Food Partnership, said: “We all know that foodbanks aren’t the solution. But at the moment they are the lifeline that people need, and they need our support.
"Not everybody reading this can volunteer their time, but if you can donate even £3 it will help to keep these vital organisations going through Winter. It’s a Christmas gift to those who need it most.”
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Lewes District Food Partnership is funded by East Sussex County Council and Public Health England.
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Hide AdThe Partnership works in East Sussex alongside four other District & Borough level food partnerships in Wealden, Eastbourne, Hastings and Rother, with a view to feeding into a county wide food strategy.