{"id":16026,"date":"2018-08-31T11:31:04","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T10:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=16026"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:58:16","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:58:16","slug":"unite-community-holiday-hunger-norwich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=16026","title":{"rendered":"‘Solidarity not charity’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Mary*, mother of three children ages 7,5 and 2, has little faith in the social safety net that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed support her and her family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Job Centre just isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t interested in helping someone like me,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she says. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI left school at 16; I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any qualifications. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m 25 now and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got nothing on my CV.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But her friend Molly* says a job, even a full-time one, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t guarantee her family\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s most basic expenses will be met.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy husband works more than 40 hours a week,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Molly, mother of two children aged 8 and 10, explains.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI still have to skip meals to make sure my kids are okay. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve worn the same leggings for five years,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she adds, smoothing over a frayed hole. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a massive mould problem in our home but there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just no money to fix it.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mary and Molly have joined dozens of parents and their children who have dropped in at St. Catherine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Church in Norwich to pick up free packed lunches \u00e2\u20ac\u201c provided by the local Unite Community branch \u00e2\u20ac\u201c over the school holidays.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shocking to see the difference in our family\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s expenses in term time and over the summer holidays \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sorting out childcare, finding activities, but most of all there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s food,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 says Lucy*, another parent of three daughters aged 8,9 and 12.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lucy isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t alone in struggling over the summer holidays. A report last year from the All Parliamentary Group on Hunger estimated <\/a>that the loss of free school meals in the summer adds up to \u00c2\u014140 a week to a family\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s outgoings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For a city like Norwich \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a place of apparent wealth juxtaposed with pockets of shocking deprivation \u00e2\u20ac\u201c this is no mere figure in a government report. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lived reality for the majority of households in some areas \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 80 per cent of children in Mile Cross, a ward in Norwich, are on free school meals, compared to a national average of 14 per cent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Food waste fight<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

And while so many children in Norwich and across the nation face the spectre of holiday hunger, supermarkets and other retail outlets waste about\u00c2\u00a04.3 metric tonnes<\/a> of food each year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s this glaring disparity between not enough on the one hand and far too much on the other that got the Unite Community Norfolk branch and others groups in the city thinking.<\/p>\n

\"Brian

Brian Green, Unite Community Norfolk branch secretary<\/p><\/div>\n

Brian Green, Unite Community Norfolk branch secretary (pictured above), took up the cause of tackling food waste in Norwich three years ago, when he was part of the Norwich Claimants Union, a group campaigning for benefits claimants\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rights which later merged into the local Unite Community Branch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The group protested outside local supermarkets such as Marks & Spencer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s every week for over a year in an attempt to convince these enormously profitable retail giants to donate the surplus food they wasted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eventually proving a PR nightmare for the retailers thanks to the group\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tireless campaigning, Marks & Spencer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s caved in and others such as Tesco soon followed suit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe change in the supermarket policy nationally towards food waste really began in Norwich,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Brian says. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bNow instead of throwing away food, they give it away.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In response to the change in policy, Norwich FoodHub <\/a>was set up to centralise and distribute donations from supermarkets to various local groups in need such as food banks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Working together<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMuch of what you see here today we got from Tesco through FoodHub,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Brian says as he butters a piece of bread and assembles a sandwich.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Unite Community free lunches project, which launched in July, has given over 500 lunches to children aged 16 and under this summer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The lunches consist of a sandwich, a piece of fruit, a drink, a yoghurt and a snack. They were handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis \u00e2\u20ac\u201c with no questions asked as long as children were accompanied by an adult — between 12 and 1pm every week day.<\/p>\n

\"The

The table laid ready for the first children to arrive<\/p><\/div>\n

Today (August 31) will be the project\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s last day, when volunteers and families will celebrate with a big donated cake, but Brian says this is just the beginning \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Unite Community hopes to expand into providing lunches over the Christmas holidays as well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe best thing about our project is it shows what we can accomplish when we organise, build links with the community and come together,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Brian notes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The project, after all, is the brainchild of no one person in particular \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the result of various groups working together, from FoodHub and Unite Community to the local school, the church, the community centre, and the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Labour councillors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Trish

Trish who runs the nearby Phoenix Community Centre brings a group of children to St. Catherine’s Church Hall for their free lunches<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Universal Credit fears<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more than just a packed lunch that the Unite Community volunteers offer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur motto is \u00e2\u20ac\u0098solidarity not charity\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve printed on flyers publicising the free lunches,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 explains Unite Community branch chair Geraldine Murray (pictured below). \u00e2\u20ac\u015bSome of the families who come here open up about the struggles they face at home, in work, with the benefits system and so on. We try our best to offer advice and steer them in the right direction.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

\"Unite

Unite Community Norfolk branch chair Geraldine Murray<\/p><\/div>\n

Geraldine says a widespread fear is the introduction of Universal Credit, which though having faced delay after delay, is planned to be rolled out in Norwich later this year. It will affect over 20,000 people –\u00c2\u00a0 far\u00c2\u00a0more than the 5,000 now claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance. The welfare reform, which rolls six benefits into one, was introduced just up the road in Yarmouth two years ago, where it has precipitated untold suffering<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Universal Credit claimants have been serially underpaid or overpaid, resulting in debts and overdue bills, while some have been evicted for failing to pay rent on time after chronically delayed benefit payments. Food bank demand has soared in areas where Universal Credit has been introduced, while about 2.6m children will lose out on free school meal eligibility<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0by 2022 under the new system.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGiving out packed lunches should only be a temporary measure \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s certainly not the answer \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but beyond making sure these children don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go without, it provides us with an opportunity to discuss the issues; to help each other understand the real source of the problems such as poverty,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Geraldine adds.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Vote plea<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Sue*, who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s come with two of her five children for Unite Community\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s packed lunches, knows full well the source of her family\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s problems.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad it does exist but this programme really shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to in 2018 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it should be the government stepping up to support us when we fall through the cracks,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen the social safety net destroyed more and more each and every year. There used to be much more support.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTheresa May, she calls us the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Jams\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just about managing,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Sue adds. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bFunny how all she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done is name us, but she won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help us.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

\"Unite

A family collects their packed lunches<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Indeed, while May and her Tory government have abandoned those most in need, others have shown that there is another way. Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council, for example, became this year the first council ever to commit to providing free school meals <\/a>to eligible children all year round, including over the summer holidays.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A serious, coordinated effort to tackle holiday hunger by both local and national governments has become more and more pressing at a time when four out of five teachers report children coming back from the holidays visibly malnourished.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But in the meantime, food banks and community groups like Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s are left to fill in the gaps.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sue, who has one child with special needs, hails the community spirit embodied by Unite Community\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lunches but implores everyone who cares about their community to vote.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the millionaires and the lawyers and businessmen who vote \u00e2\u20ac\u201c people who have no idea what our lives are like. \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Sense of community\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is all well and good but this \u00e2\u20ac\u0098sense of community\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 often doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t vote. And if we really want things to change, it needs to.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*Names changed to protect privacy.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photos by Peter Smith<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mary*, mother of three children ages 7,5 and 2, has little faith in the social safety net that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed support her and her family.   \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Job Centre just isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t interested in helping someone like me,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she says. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI left school at 16; I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any qualifications. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m 25 now and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got nothing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[480,1004,232,462],"wps_subtitle":"Unite Community tackles holiday hunger in Norwich","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16026"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16026"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25932,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16026\/revisions\/25932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}