Big Give Christmas Challenge 2023:
Feed a London Child this Christmas
APPLE: Empowering young people through food and creative skills
Currently, 700,000 children in London face food poverty. Many of these children live in households with working parents, but the cost of living crisis has forced more families into food insecurity as expenses have skyrocketed. City Harvest delivers free food to 129 community partners dedicated to feeding children and supporting families. APPLE, City Harvest’s most local Acton charity partner, offers free activities, excursions and cooking classes to children and youth in the community.
Rising demand for free food during the school holidays
The Acton Park-based youth centre sees demand for free food soar amidst cost-of-living crisis, especially during school holidays.
The centre supports a core group of around 15-20 families a week with City Harvest food, and children are offered snacks and hot meals as part of the after-school provision.
We’re noticing that during the holidays, a lot of the children whose families collect food from us, they’re kind of depending on us for their meals while they’re away from school. So, they’ll come in, and the first they do when they get here is they’ll ask us ‘will lunch be served?’, so it obviously shows the necessity for them. Abi Leitao, Project Worker, APPLE
Providing development opportunities and creative career prospects
According to Senior Project Worker, Jake Barker, one of the most important elements of APPLE is providing alternative routes into work for young, creative people. APPLE art block, as it’s known to the community, is first and foremost an arts centre that encourages children and teens to express themselves using creative skills, whether it’s through fine art, digital art, music, cookery or performing arts.
Exploring extracurricular activities, outside of school, is expensive. APPLE’s team make sure to expose the young people with fewer resources to as much as possible, through excursions or skills-based workshops. This has forged a community of children and teens who love to come to the centre and eat, socialise and embrace their newfound creative skills and passion.
Food, as with many of City Harvest’s community partners, becomes a catalyst for opportunity and allows children to thrive in a safe and healthy environment. When fit and fed, children and young people are better equipped to rise to opportunities.
Big Give Christmas Challenge 2023: Feed A London Child
This winter, City Harvest aims to deliver 400,000 meals to children and families facing food poverty during the cold winter months. By rescuing surplus food and delivering it free of charge to frontline charities, and organisations such as Carney’s.
As the holiday season approaches, supporting City Harvest’s mission will get us closer to ensuring that no child goes to bed hungry. Together, we can turn the tide on food waste and food poverty, making a lasting impact on the lives of those who need it most. Donate now via the Big Give donate page to double the impact you can have on children facing food poverty.
