Latest news with #foodpoverty
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Event supports more than 21,000 people with kitchen essentials
A social enterprise has launched a new campaign to tackle food, fuel and kitchen poverty. Cracking Good Food hosted its seventh Kitchen Kit Redistribution Event at Bolton Arena on July 16, marking the first time the scheme has come to the town. The event saw 1,848kg of used kitchen equipment redistributed to 46 community organisations, supporting more than 21,000 people across Greater Manchester. The event saw 1,848kg of used kitchen equipment redistributed to 46 community organisations (Image: Phil Taylor) Kate Ainsworth, marketing and business outreach manager at Cracking Good Food, said: "To see Bolton's community come out in full force to support those most in need has been humbling and heartwarming. "There's a real sense of pride here – and I'm so proud we could bring this campaign home." The Kitchen Kit scheme supports individuals, including foodbank users, care leavers, veterans, refugees, those experiencing homelessness, and people fleeing domestic abuse. Ehinor and Juliana from Wonderfully Made Woman, a Bolton-based charity supporting women and girls, said the event would help them serve more than 100 people with hot meals that evening. Ehinor said: "We support women and girls, and In His Image supports young African boys. "This is the first time we have attended this event and it definitely will not be the last. "Thank you for this fantastic cause. "As you can see we have around five bags full of items; we really need as much kitchen equipment as we can get – thank you." The Kitchen Kit scheme supports individuals, including foodbank users and veterans (Image: Phil Taylor) The event brings the campaign's total impact to more than 11.35 tonnes of kitchen equipment redistributed, supporting in excess of 44,000 people in less than three years. The environmental impact is substantial as well, with more than 112 tonnes of embodied carbon emissions saved by diverting items from landfills. Cracking Good Food volunteer Zel said: "These events are making a real impact on people's lives. "By helping out at such an organised event, I know I'm an extension of that impact. "This is definitely our most successful KKC event so far. "We told organisations, 'take anything and everything you need' – and they didn't hold back. "We've been virtually left with nothing, which is fantastic. "It means everything went to the people who need it most." People at the Kitchen Kit Redistribution Event (Image: Phil Taylor) The event was made possible through partnerships with organisations including Bolton Wanderers in the Community, Manchester Metropolitan University, and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Tracey Torley, CEO of Cracking Good Food, said: "All our partners and supporters are instrumental in the logistics for this event. "Our funders, Recycle for Greater Manchester, and venue provider Bolton Arena have also played a huge role. "But most of all, it's our volunteers – their loyalty never falters. "Every event, they return with energy and care. READ MORE: Care home residents 'uplifted' by on-site hair salon and nail bar Arcade moving to next level for summer holidays, with dozens of new machines Age UK Bolton and council partnership 'changing lives' for residents "Without our funders, kit donors, a dedicated compassionate team and volunteers, these events – and Cracking Good Food itself – simply wouldn't exist." Despite the success, this year's donations were lower than in previous years, with groups receiving just 25 per cent of the needed electrical items. To address this, Cracking Good Food has launched a permanent Kitchen Kit Shop at its hub in Longsight, allowing organisations to collect equipment year-round.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Larkfield garden is getting summer ready - but needs more volunteers to help it bloom
THE team behind an ever-growing garden project in Greenock are looking for more volunteers to pitch in this summer and help make their ambitious project a success. Over the past year green-fingered volunteers have transformed a former derelict site off Banff Road into a thriving outdoor space, dubbed the 'Larkfield Guerrilla Garden'. Volunteers flocked to the garden on Tuesday to lend a helping hand in planting flower beds, building a polytunnel and tidying up the site, making progress towards their ultimate goal of having the garden be fully open for visitors. (Image: George Munro) Larkfield resident Kirsty Cairns founded the project with help from Matt Ross and Jackie McPherson. Read more Bee-themed event to be held at Kilmacolm Library this weekend McGill's confirm 'major expansion' into coach travel with seven-figure acquisition The Haven announces competition to name new coffee and crepe van Together the trio created a community garden and produce growing space on the site that had been lying empty for 17 years. Kirsty said: 'We don't have a food panty in this area anymore, so the idea is to grow food here and give it away for free because there is a lot of food poverty in Inverclyde. 'If this is going to work it needs to be a bigger team effort and Matthew and I would still try to make it work on our own, but we need the community to help bring it to life. 'We need more input from the community and not just through gardening work but also input on what they want to see this space used for and how it's going to work best for locals.' Vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and onions are already being grown at the garden and will be distributed among the community when they are ready. (Image: George Munro) (Image: George Munro) (Image: George Munro) The small Guerrilla Garden team plan to open the gardens to more locals, but they say more volunteers are needed to maintain and complete the grounds. Other News Former church building in Greenock reduced to rubble after years lying empty Lots of summer fun is being had by little ones at Branchton's Family Playscheme Gourock gift shop owner looks back on 21 years after second national award win Matt added: 'Every time we come down here there are always lots of jobs still to be done and with it just being the two of us, we can't get everything finished ourselves. 'With more people here, we would be able to grow more.' (Image: George Munro) (Image: George Munro) But luckily for the garden, help has been coming in from all quarters. Staff from the RBS call centre in Greenock recently got in the gardening spirit with a group of a dozen workers taking part in a team building day at the site. Local politicians have even put their gardening gloves on with Greenock MSP Stuart McMillan having helped out on the site in the past and returning on Tuesday to join in with the latest effort. He told the Tele: 'I have been helping out here a few times now and it is a great project, Kirsty and the team have done a magnificent job. 'They had the foresight to do this and use this piece of land that was sitting doing nothing and turn it into something for the community.' Anyone who is interested in getting involved with the garden should contact Kirsty via the Larkfield Guerrilla Garden Facebook page.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
World War II style kitchen selling meals for as little as £3 to open in the UK to help underprivileged areas
World War II style kitchens will open in the UK selling meals for as little as £3 to help disadvantaged areas. The taxpayer-funded project is set to be launched in Nottingham, with a second venue in Dundee, offering cheap and nutritious food. Subsidised communal kitchens were common in the 1940s and would include a cup of tea costing one pence as well as bangers and mash at around sixpence. They were intended as communal spaces for Britons who'd had their homes bombed and needed a hearty meal. The two new not-for-profit sites will be the first of this generation as there are currently no government-subsidised restaurants in the UK after most closed by the 1960s following the end of rationing in 1954. They will focus primarily on feeding children, operating as a normal restaurant for at least five days a week and the cost of a meal will only marginally exceed that of the ingredients. More than £1.5million of taxpayer money is set to be pumped into the 12-month pilot project which aims to tackle food poverty and malnutrition. Anna Chworow, the deputy director of Nourish Scotland, which is conducting the study alongside the University of Sussex, said the meals were expected to cost between £3 and £5. She explained: 'From the customer end, this will feel like an ordinary restaurant – albeit with low prices. The subsidy mostly supports staff costs and overheads, and this in turn keeps the prices low for everyone. 'Each meal is priced slightly above the cost of ingredients used to make it, meaning the more popular the restaurants are, the more economically viable they become.' Countries like Poland and Turkey already run similar schemes and the scientists behind Britain's pilot sites hope they will provide a blueprint for more restaurants to open in the coming years, which would be funded by local authorities. Location, cuisine, meals, and pricing would be decided in talks with the local community though it is unknown how the food would be sourced. However, researchers are hoping to prioritise local produce on the project, for which a contract is expected to be tendered later this year. Ms Chworow explained under the pilot funding would be given to the caterer - the operator of the restaurant. But it is imagined the central government funding would be transferred to the local authority in future, with pilot sites also potentially operating 'slightly differently' to the eventual roll-out. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has announced more than £8 million in funding for six different projects, with one being the subsidised restaurants. The Ministry of Food handbook criticised the "appalling ignorance" of British people when it came to preparing food, advising that more vegetables should be introduced to the diet through national kitchen menus. Kitchen at the height of its popularity in 1918 Another project includes a mobile greengrocer, dubbed the 'Queen of Greens', visiting areas of Liverpool where social housing residents have limited access to nutritious food. Peter Kyle, the Science and Technology Secretary, said: 'No one in this country should be left unable to access the healthy food they need. 'These projects will draw on the power of research to actively explore the best ways to get healthy food into the mouths of those who need it, potentially having a transformational effect on people's lives, and fulfilling the missions set in our Plan for Change.'
Telegraph
08-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Second World War-style restaurants to help feed underprivileged families
Second World War-style restaurants will serve meals for as little as £3 to provide healthy meals to underprivileged areas. A taxpayer-funded project will launch a restaurant in Nottingham and another in Dundee offering cheap and nutritious meals to people in disadvantaged areas. The two not-for-profit sites will resemble the British and civic kitchens of the 1940s when Britons who had their homes bombed went to communal spaces to eat hearty meals. The new incarnation of these subsidised cafes will focus on feeding children and operate as a normal restaurant for at least five days a week. The cost of a meal will only marginally exceed that of the ingredients. More than £1.5 million of taxpayer money is funding the 12-month pilot project, which rekindles the Blitz spirit in an effort to combat food poverty and malnutrition. In the early 1940s, a meal at a subsidised communal kitchen would include a cup of tea costing one pence, and bangers and mash at about sixpence. 'The meals are expected to cost between £3 and £5,' Anna Chworow, the deputy director of Nourish Scotland, which is running the study alongside the University of Sussex, said of the expected menu at the modern civic kitchens. 'From the customer end, this will feel like an ordinary restaurant – albeit with low prices. 'The subsidy mostly supports staff costs and overheads, and this in turn keeps the prices low for everyone. Each meal is priced slightly above the cost of ingredients used to make it, meaning the more popular the restaurants are, the more economically viable they become,' she added. There are currently no government-subsidised restaurants in the UK, with the war-era eateries falling out of favour after rationing ended in 1954. Most closed by the 1960s. Some countries such as Poland and Turkey have similar schemes, but the pilot sites in Nottingham and Dundee will be unique in 21st-century Britain. The scientists running the scheme hope the pilot will provide a blueprint for more restaurants to open in the coming years, which will be funded by local authorities. The exact restaurant locations, cuisine, meals and pricing will be decided in talks with the local community. How the food will be sourced remains unknown, with local produce a priority for the researchers. A contract to run the project is expected to be tendered later this year. 'The project team hopes that the local authorities and the national governments (at the UK and devolved level) would be interested in continuing the two sites after the pilot is over and in rolling them out more widely,' Ms Chworow said. 'The model is for the funding to be given to the operator of the restaurant – in the case of the pilots, it will be the caterer. In the future, we would imagine the local authority receiving funding from the central government. 'It's important to say these two restaurants will be test sites – so may operate slightly differently from how we envisage the eventual roll-out. The important things we're trying to learn are the operations (including the exact financial model) and the impact they have on health and wellbeing.' The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has announced more than £8 million in total funding for six different projects, with one being the subsidised restaurants. Another includes a mobile greengrocer, dubbed the Queen of Greens, visiting areas of Liverpool where social housing residents have limited access to fresh, nutritious food. Peter Kyle, the Science and Technology Secretary, said: 'No one in this country should be left unable to access the healthy food they need. 'These projects will draw on the power of research to actively explore the best ways to get healthy food into the mouths of those who need it, potentially having a transformational effect on people's lives, and fulfilling the missions set in our Plan for Change.'
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Teen urges Kiwi youth to tackle climate-fuelled food poverty
Joel Titus visited Malaita in the Solomon Islands in December 2024 as a World Vision New Zealand youth ambassador. Photo: Supplied A young Kiwi Indian is urging young New Zealanders to rise up against the dual threats of climate change and food poverty, calling it a humanitarian crisis that demands urgent youth-led action. The 19-year-old from Palmerston North toured schools across Aotearoa to inspire young people to join World Vision New Zealand's 40-Hour Challenge, which raised funds to support children in the Pacific, especially in climate-vulnerable nations such as the Solomon Islands. World Vision New Zealand is a Christian charity organization dedicated to tackling poverty and injustice, especially for children and communities in need. "It's such a big problem," Titus said. "It's not a political crisis but a humanitarian one and at its heart, it affects people, especially women and children." Titus volunteered this year for 40 hours at Everybody Eats in Onehunga, an Auckland-based charity that transforms rescued food into three-course meals on a pay-what-you-can basis. Together with the team, he helped cook more than 2000 meals to address the issue of food poverty in Auckland while also raising funds to address the issue in Solomon Islands. "Food is such a vital part of Indian culture and, for me, it's a way to connect with people," he said. "So, I really wanted my challenge to be around food this year." Titus has long been involved in the 40-Hour Challenge. "Even one year, my twin brother and I were tied to each other for 40 hours," he said. "So, I've done some pretty crazy challenges in the past." Joel Titus' family hails from Kerala, India. Photo: Supplied In December 2024, Titus travelled to the Solomon Islands as a World Vision youth ambassador and witnessed firsthand how climate change was endangering children's futures. "The people there are so incredible," Titus said. He said limited access to clean water and food had brought many young lives to a standstill, with 1 in 6 children in the Pacific living in poverty. "That statistic stuck with me," he said. "But numbers never tell the whole story - it was only when I met the children behind those numbers that it truly hit me." Since returning from his trip, he shared their stories across New Zealand, speaking at more than 40 schools and reaching thousands of students with a message that they too could make a difference. "As a youth ambassador, my role is about equipping young people with the tools to truly change the world," he said. Born and raised in Palmerston North, Titus' family is originally from Kerala, India. Now based in Auckland, Titus is pursuing a degree in biology and health at Auckland University of Technology, but he still holds tight to his roots. "I just love being Indian - being brown is my superpower," he said. "I wear a mundu or sherwani to work sometimes, because knowing who you are gives you a kind of strength," he said, referring to examples of traditional Indian clothing. "Growing up in New Zealand, people might say things that make you doubt yourself, but I want young people to know that being different is powerful." Titus is calling on young Kiwi Indians to rise up and be part of the solution. "We're not just dairy owners or accountants," he said. "We are leaders, we are policy makers and we are change makers. We're everything we want to be. And I want to encourage young Indians to believe in that."
