Let’s make 2018 the year to End Hunger in the UK!

As many SCM members will be aware, growing numbers of people in the UK face hunger and destitution. Benefit cuts and changes, punitive sanctions, low pay, insecure work, and rises in the cost of living all combine to make life incredibly hard for too many of us.

Churches, food banks and a huge range of community food projects mobilise a network of thousands of volunteers across the UK. We’re passionate about solving this issue, but we know that voluntary action alone isn’t enough. We need long-term solutions to hunger and poverty.

In a country as wealthy as ours, it is perfectly possible to enable families to be able to afford good food on a regular basis, and to ensure that children are able to live free from the damaging impacts of hunger on their health, attainment and opportunity.

All we need is the political will to do so.

That’s why SCM joined Church Action on Poverty in the End Hunger UK coalition. We’re building  a movement to mobilise all of those volunteers and call for real action to tackle the root causes of hunger. 2018 is the year we begin to gather momentum and really change things. We invite every SCM group and chaplaincy to join us – here’s what you need to do first:

Join us in pledging to End UK Hunger in 2018

With your support we can build a powerful movement of groups across the country committed to tackling the underlying causes of food poverty and hunger in the UK. 

We ask you to make the End Hunger pledge: 

“We commit to do what we can to end hunger locally, and to call on the UK government to play its part in ending hunger in the UK.”

We’ll help you connect with other local groups, and invite you to be part of our campaign actions throughout 2018.

Can you help us reach our target of securing 200 End Hunger UK Pledges from local churches, food banks, or other local groups by the end of January?

Ask your chaplaincy or SCM  group to pledge to help End Hunger UK now.

Ending Hunger in communities

Church Action on Poverty has also launched two other initiatives that complement End Hunger’s campaign for change:

·         We’re helping communities set up ‘Local Pantries’. A Pantry is a community food store that helps struggling families make their money go further by: reducing food shopping bills (members can save over £500 each year); providing advice and support; developing skills through volunteering and other opportunities within the project. Find out more

·         Our Food Power programme will mobilise the real experts – people who have experienced hunger – to speak out for change. Food Power is supporting local food poverty alliances in communities across the UK, and making sure that experts by experience are central in their work and campaigns. Find your local food poverty alliance


Liam Purcell, Church Action on Poverty

www.church-poverty.org.uk