SFHA Food Bank Advent Appeal
SFHA launches Christmas appeal.
For months, the SFHA, and other organisations, has been highlighting the catastrophic consequences of the roll-out of Universal Credit and lobbying the UK Government for urgent change. The Trussell Trust also recently warned that food banks are likely to be overwhelmed during the Christmas period, partly due to the increase in Universal Credit Full Service areas.
The Chancellor recently announced new measures in the Budget that are aimed at addressing Universal Credit’s issues, including reducing the six-week wait period to five weeks in February 2018. While the SFHA welcomes the changes, they will have no effect on people who are currently receiving Universal credit or those who will move on to it before the new measures are implemented.
In the run up to Christmas, the SFHA would like to encourage its members to take part in its Food Bank Advent Appeal and to collect items, including Christmas goods, which might help to brighten up an otherwise bleak Christmas.
The Trussell Trust, and other food banks, ask for food items that are non-perishable. An emergency food parcel provides enough nutritional, balanced items to last three days. A typical food parcel includes:
- cereal
- soup
- pasta
- rice
- pasta sauce
- beans
- tinned meat
- tinned vegetables
- tea/coffee
- tinned fruit
- biscuits
Food banks also provide essential non-food items such as toiletries and feminine hygiene products. These items would also be welcome, along with seasonal goods such as selection boxes and Christmas cake.
How your organisation can take part in the Food Bank Advent Appeal:
- Get in touch with your local food bank and find out what items it needs the most
- Promote and organise the collection of these items within your organisation (to be collected by around 10 December in order to be handed over to your food bank in time for onward distribution)
- Organise a handover, perhaps inviting elected politicians and local press to attend (SFHA has sent members a suggested template invitation letter and press release – feel free to edit or create your own)
- Send in your photographs and stories for inclusion in a special edition of Housing Scotland Today e-newsletter to features@sfha.co.uk SFHA will publish this on 20 December and highlight members that took part.