No-one should go hungry at Christmas. Every year the UK Money Bloggers community run the #FoodBankAdvent Campaign. At the heart of it is the Reverse Advent Calendar. So what is a reverse advent calendar? And why do we need it more than ever?
We are all wrapped up in our own busy lives, juggling family, working, friends, money and well, life in general. And now we are starting to think about Christmas. How often do we look outside our ‘bubble’ and see what’s happening to others, and how we can help?
Did you know that 1 in 5 people are living below the poverty line. Or that over HALF A MILLION people regularly use foodbanks. I didn’t even know what a Food Bank really was, or where my nearest one was. I looked up to see where my local one was on the Trussell Trusts website here and do you know what? There are 12, yep TWELVE food banks within 5 miles of Enfield. The nearest one to me (North Enfield) gave out 5,807 parcels of 3 day emergency food supplies in 2019, the first year I became involved – a shocking number.
Last year it was a staggering 19,350. Our help is needed more than ever.
Here’s why I am involved, and how you can be too.
I cannot imagine the life that these Adults and Children on our doorstep have to face every day, it’s so, so sad. Everyone of us are in a position to help. Whether we have no spare money or plenty of spare, this is something we can all get involved in and help our Community. No-one should be hungry ever, and at Christmas – the time for giving. Lets really make a difference.
Why? Well, just because we can. It is not something that is going to give you #SmallJoy. Probably the opposite, you may even feel guilty that you don’t do more. But doing this will give you a sense of knowing that you have actually done something for someone else. And that’s a powerful thing. Something that would change the world for the better if everyone took part.
What is a reverse Advent Calendar?
A reverse advent calendar is when you ‘give’ each day instead of opening a door on an advent calendar and eating the chocolate inside. The idea of the #FoodBankAdvent is that you add one thing a day into a box at home, and at the end of the 25 days, you donate this parcel to your local food bank. My local food bank has loads of drop off points in Surpermarkets around town. You can check out yours here, this also gives all the info you need.
The idea is simple, one thing a day in a box. This is not an excuse to get rid of the things in your cupboard that have been hanging around, unlikely to be ever used (no one wants the capers!). Have a look at what your local Foodbank needs and what they have enough of. My North Enfield Food Bank shows this:
Urgently needed food items
- CARRIER BAGS
- CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS
- PACKETS OF STUFFING
- CRANBERRY SAUCE
- NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS
- CHRISTMAS SAVOURY SNACKS
- ADVENT CALENDARS
- BOXES OF CHOCOLATES
- TINNED MEAT – TURKEY/CHICKEN/HAM
- GRAVY GRANULES
On top of the staples of Tinned Tomatoes, Tinned Fruit, Tinned Vegetables, Custard, Rice Pudding, Instant Mash, Instant Noodles/Noodles, Tinned Spaghetti/Spaghetti Hoops, Savoury Snacks – Crisps/Popcorn/Crackers, Chocolate/Snack Bars, Biscuits, Tinned Puddings, Shampoo/Conditioner, Shower Gel, Toilet Roll, Washing Powder
They’ve got plenty of
Beans, Pasta, Tea, Beans/Pulses ( Kidney ,Black-eyed peas & lentils), Sugar, Cereal
How to join in #FoodbankAdvent and make a difference
The basic idea is – get a box, put one thing a day into it. After 25 days then drop it at your local foodbank. However you can use this idea and make it work for you , so you are still involved and make a difference. It’s the spirit of the #ReverseAdventCalendar that matters, not the detail.
You don’t have to do this yourself, moneys tight and 25 items is a lot when you are on a tight budget yourself. How about a group of you, filling the box together? Remember whatever you have, many others have less, so whatever you can spare will be gratefully recieved.
Get the kids involved, maybe their schools could get involved, have class donations. Or how about at work/ could you work together towards #FoodBankAdvent ? Friends and neighbours – everyone can do this.
Spread the word and share this Campaign. Contact local businesses, and your local MP. Our MP has gotten involved and retweeted our request to help. Every one of us can made the difference.
The Trussell Trust have a template for their Reverse Advent Calendar, I think each branch must do their own based on what is most needed. Have a look at The North Enfield reverse advent calendar one, you will get a good idea of what is needed.
How do we take part in the Reverse Advent Calendar?
We don’t have the space to keep a box, adding one item a day is not practical, and the opening hours of the local foodbank, together with me avoiding car journeys because of my back means our contribution to #FoodBankAdvent is done a little differently – like this.
- We have a look at what is needed at my local foodbank on the Trussell Trust website
- Make a list of 25 items
- Look in our cupboards to see what we already have
- Add a few items to our fortnightly shopping delivery
- Buy an extra item or two when we buy milk etc from local shops
- Pop into Poundland and buy a few chocolate advent calendars to donate
We drop the items we have collected in the collection point at my local Sainsburys as we go along. The Trussell Trust website will also have a list of nearby collection points, there are many more than last year, sadly because more are needed.
We always skip a takeaway and donate the money we would have spent (easy to do on the Trussel Trust website). This is another great option and easy to do on their website.
We pop in some of our favourite snacks (it’s tradition!)
Have a look at the UK Money Bloggers Campaign for more info and ideas
Lets also thank the Food Bank volunteers, what amazing people they are. And let us know how you’re doing? What’s going in your box. How you are helping your Community?
#FoodBankAdvent #UKMoneyBloggers
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