The South Wales Food Poverty Alliance set up in January 2018 with support from Sustain’s Food Power[1] project. We want to broaden its’ membership to include more organisations taking grass roots action on food poverty in South Wales. The Alliance is mapping indicators of food insecurity across all local authority areas in the South Wales. This data and narrative on local action will be used to produce a South Wales Food Insecurity report to push Welsh Government to do more to ensure no one in Wales goes hungry. We would also like to gather views of people with a lived experience of food poverty to help shape action moving forward. If you would like to be involved in or want to know more about the South Wales Food Poverty Alliance please contact Hayley Richards (Chair) on hrichards@oxfam.org.uk
The Children’s Future Food inquiry is also currently gathering evidence from children, young people and those who live and work with them about children’s experiences of hunger and how it affects their lives.[2] They would like to hear from anyone who has experiences, evidence or real-life case studies which they would like to share with the Inquiry via an online portal https://bit.ly/2zBbpkN. If you know or have observed children who don’t have easy access to nutritious diets please share these experiences via the evidence portal.
Finally, the roll out of Universal Credit is having a dire impact on some of the poorest people in our society. According to End Hunger UK, in areas where Universal Credit has been rolled out foodbanks and other food aid providers report a surge in the numbers of people pushed into greater debt, destitution and hunger as a result of delays, errors, a lack of flexibility and adequate support. End Hunger UK is calling on the UK Government to urgently fix the problems with Universal Credit to prevent more people going hungry. You can support this campaign by signing the petition online http://endhungeruk.org/ucpetition/ and also inviting others to sign it such as foodbank providers, community food projects or churches and other faith groups.
[1] https://www.sustainweb.org/foodpower/
[2] http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-education/child-food-insecurity/
