What’s the problem?

Right now, families in the UK are struggling to afford food. With food prices soaring, millions are being pushed below the breadline, with many struggling to feed themselves and their families.

Shockingly, the number of children in food poverty in the UK has nearly doubled in the last year to almost four million. Many families are being forced to skip meals, go hungry or not eating for a all day.

When families don’t have a lot of money, it becomes even harder to afford a healthy, nutritious diet. Those who are food insecure are more likely to cut back on fruit and vegetables – because they are just too expensive.

How we’re helping

Since 2020 Action Against Hunger has been working with local councils and community groups to support community pantries. Community pantries are local initiatives which give households at risk from food poverty access to affordable, nutritious foods on a weekly basis for a small membership fee (as little as £3.50 per week, for £40 worth of food).

We’re working with pantries in areas where deprivation is high – in parts of London, Manchester and Birmingham. Our aim is to make sure families in the UK not only get the food they need, but that the food is fresh, varied and nutritious.

Your monthly gift of £3 a month could help us expand our work in the UK – and help more families facing food poverty.

Why your support matters

With your support:

• Our expert nutrition team can train volunteers so they can advise families on healthy eating and nutritious recipes.
• Action Against Hunger can offer help setting up new community pantries, in areas where families are struggling.
• We can help make community pantries more efficient, giving them advice on how to improve their processes, to make money go further.
• We can help pantries measure how effective they are in helping relieve food poverty, so they can maximise their impact.

One-off donations will go towards supporting our work tackling food poverty in the UK. If you choose to set up a monthly gift, your donation will be spent wherever the need is greatest.

Anna’s story

Anna is a single mother of a 1-year-old daughter and told us her story of how the Sydenham Community Store has helped them. Having separated from her husband when she was pregnant, when her daughter was born, she felt alone and had no-one to support her.

Anna struggled when her daughter was born and was worried about being able to provide for her baby. When she started visiting the Sydenham Community Store in July 2021, she found the support net she needed.

“Since I started using the supermarket, I feel like I have everything I want”. She explained how she and her daughter have been able to eat more varied and healthy food, how they have both gained weight and how her daughter needs the doctor less. Anna lights up when she speaks of the friends she has made at the store and how she looks forward to the next time she can visit. She describes how helpful people in the store have been, giving her advice on child care and “giving positive mind”. “It saved my life…”