Giving is more vital than ever
“We had a parent come in to pick up a bag of food,” says Joanna Read of The Bow Foodbank. “They had six children and picked up a bag of cooked food because they can’t afford to turn on their oven.”
The ‘cost of living crisis’ has become the much-repeated phrase of 2022 but it’s only when you speak to Joanna Read, Executive Director of the Bow Foodbank that the scale and hardship that has followed in the wake of the rise in energy prices becomes clear. With energy bills early in 2023 set to be annualised at over £4000, rather than the £2800 expected early in 2022, the stress on families, and poor families in particular, is only set to get worse.
“During the pandemic, we went from feeding about 100 people a week to now over 1000,” says Joanna. “And we’re definitely seeing the profile of our users change. About 50% are in work, in low-income jobs. Delivery drivers. Zero-hours contract workers. Cleaners. Retail. Spiralling costs are especially intense for larger families who are renting and for many, food is the only thing that you can cut.”
“It’s really important to bring together people from all backgrounds and tackle poverty together.”
Earlier this year, over thirty operators on Redchurch Street came together to support a raffle for The Bow Foodbank and raised over £3,500 for the charity. At our recent Winter Market in the Tea Building, a further £1,600 was raised from visitors.
Volunteers pack food parcels
For Joanna, giving is not simply an act of philanthropy but of community cohesion, an ethos that aligns strongly with the priorities of our work at onRedchurch.
“This is a community problem,” says Read. “And we need to solve it as a community. It’s really important to bring together people from all backgrounds and tackle poverty together. Your resilience to financial shock relates to your connections and routes to other people. By giving to the food bank and volunteering you’re building those routes, and so supporting resilience.”
Like us, Joanna is “really passionate about Tower Hamlets”. As she says, “It is a community. In the East End, people work together to get things done in a way that you might not see elsewhere. They also take responsibility for their neighbours.”
Bow Foodbank are gratefully receiving donations. If you have anything to spare, you can donate via the button below.
Joanna was speaking to David Barrie of onRedchurch. The Foodbank is running a crowdfunding campaign to modernise its activities. More on the ‘Future Food’ campaign is available here or use the button below to donate.