Open and generous heart will make a difference
We have sadly become all too familiar with phrases like food and fuel poverty, we hear them used on daily basis in news bulletins and from our politicians.
And for many families this is a cause of fear and anxiety. Suddenly prices have shot up on almost every item, and we compare notes with each other on the hike in prices of our daily staples, weekly grocery bill and the prices at fuel pump.
For many families this means difficult choices have to be made which will impact on our lifestyle, the choice between small luxuries and the absolute necessities. For some, the impossible choice of having to choose between food, heating and putting fuel in the tank.
Economic recession and the impending impact of inflation will soon take their toll on all of us.
The Queen’s Speech, which outlines the government’s legislative programme for the coming year had to take cognizance of this situation and offer some remedial action to help ameliorate the worse effects on those, hardest hit by the economic downturn.
One controversial MP has drawn much opprobrium upon himself by suggesting that the problem of food poverty and the reliance of many on foodbanks could be overcome by the poor learning to cook! It was a breathtakingly insensitive remark to make and could hardly have been made at worse time.
I’m sure we all recognise that the current situation is something of a perfect storm with various calamitous circumstances coming together with deeply unhappy consequences. These circumstances include Covid and its economic aftermath, the war in Ukraine, Europe’s reliance on Russian gas, Brexit tariffs, historically low interest rates, reliance on cheap money, inflation, and the seismic drop in manufacturing as a result of the lockdowns in China.
Whether there was enough legislative clout in the Queen’s Speech to make a difference is a matter of political debate, and will always involve party politics, which is certainly beyond the scope of my competence. But what isn’t beyond my competence is the daily experience of helping individuals and families in immediate need of food. I see this all the time and manage to offer some little assistance to them.
For the last two years I have been collecting surplus food from supermarkets in and around East Kilbride. I do this through an organisation called Neighbourly. Neighbourly is an award-winning platform that helps businesses make a positive impact in their communities by donating volunteer time, money and surplus products. This platform allows me to collect and distribute food and provide at least some provision for those who might be in need of a helping hand.
Sadly, food poverty among children long predates the present economic situation and is very well documented; a report published in 2020 into the plight of children, who suffer the effects of food poverty and hunger put the figure at 2.5 million children in Britain.
To put that in the context of 2020 that was 19 per cent of children in Britain, living in what the report described as food insecure households.
Obviously that figure will increase exponentially given the present economic crisis.
One measure taken to address childhunger during the school holidays was to have school meals available during the holidays for those children reliant on a hot and nutritious meal during the school day.
It has been a great success, but in a recent conversation I had, it has become clear that perhaps this safety-net should be extended to provide provision for children over the weekend too.
There are many groups, organisations and local community initiatives that seek to offer help and alleviate poverty and hunger, like food banks, lunch clubs, breakfast clubs in schools, the provision of free school meals, the work of St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, Justice and Peace, the Trussell Fund, Neighbourly and much more besides.
As a society we have already been through so much with the Covid pandemic, and we proved ourselves more than equal to the task of cooperating and working together to overcome it. Many sacrifices were made, personal liberties given up, plans and dreams put on hold and suspended all for the common good.
Such an attitude and commitment to the greater good may help us face this present challenge. It’s a challenge that if it does not impact on us directly at the moment, will certainly impact on our wider family, friends and neighbours.
An open and generous heart, a concern for others is something that will help us all make a difference in our local communities, neighbourhoods and town.