Pecan and Southwark Foodbank join campaign to ensure everyone can afford the essentials
Pecan and Southwark Foodbank are supporting the Guarantee our Essentials campaign calling for the UK government to reform Universal Credit to ensure that everyone can afford the essentials we all need to get by – and help end the need for food banks.
Pecan is holding a stall outside Peckham Rye Station from 10am-2pm on Friday 8 September 2023, inviting everyone from the local community to come and show support for the campaign and Pecan’s work.
‘To address local issues on a structural level, we have formed a community organising group ‘Voices for Southwark’ and are developing campaigns with community members who have used our food projects.’
As a community charity, Pecan has been offering practical and emotional support to people in Peckham and across Southwark since 1989. In addition to direct support with food at Southwark Foodbank and Peckham Pantry, our community food projects aim to see a Southwark where everyone has enough money to afford the essentials and emergency food is no longer needed.
We are working closely with our local partner agencies to provide additional support with housing, employment, immigration, benefits and any other issues. To address local issues on a structural level, we have formed a community organising group ‘Voices for Southwark’ and are developing campaigns with community members who have used our food projects.
‘… the Trussell Trust recently announced that their network – of which we’re a part – distributed almost three million emergency food parcels between April 2022 – March 2023 – the highest number on record.’
In the last 12 months, Southwark Foodbank provided 11,598 emergency food parcels to local people who couldn’t afford the essentials. 4,348 of these were provided for children. These statistics are reflective of the picture across the UK as the Trussell Trust recently announced that their network – of which we’re a part – distributed almost three million emergency food parcels between April 2022 – March 2023 – the highest number on record.
Our Voices for Southwark member Anna says: “Costs such your rent or mortgage, council tax, utility bills are leaving people without money for themselves to eat well and travel by train. Living in a tiny flat on the breadline is depressing, mind numbing, frustrating, scary. Being able to save money for a trip on a train or being able to treat yourself to a meal may brighten up someone’s life. It’s important to give people a sense of well-being by supporting them to afford the essentials.”
‘ I strongly believe that it is time for the law to change so that Universal Credit will always be enough to cover essentials.’
– Southwark Foodbank volunteer
We are joining more than 100 food banks across the UK who are taking action to show support for an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ and calling for the basic rate of Universal Credit to cover the cost of essentials that people need such as food, household bills, and travel costs.
The Trussell Trust estimates that to afford even these core essential costs a single person £120 a week, however the basic rate of Universal Credit is just £85 a week. This is already too low, yet people needing to use our food bank can have up to 25% of that deducted to repay debts, such as advance payments and budgeting loans from the Department for Work & Pensions.
Southwark Foodbank volunteer Maggy says: “People who use our food bank continue to tell us they are skipping meals and cannot afford to heat their homes and pay their bills. This causes great anxiety and can severely impact mental health. I strongly believe that it is time for the law to change so that Universal Credit will always be enough to cover essentials.”
To find out more about the Guarantee our Essentials campaign, Pecan and Southwark Foodbank are holding a stall outside Peckham Rye Station from 10am-2pm on Friday 8 September 2023. We are inviting everyone from the local community to come and find out about the campaign and about our work, sign the petition and show support for our work in the community.
END
For further information and to support the campaign
Campaign stall location and times:
- Outside Peckham Rye Station, Friday 8 September 10am-2pm
Contact:
- Flora Schweighofer (Community Engagement Officer)
email: flora.schweighofer@pecan.org.uk
tel: 020 7277 7075.
website: www.pecan.org.uk
