Uckfield Councillors take a stand against food poverty

Uckfield Town Councillors are taking their work to combat food poverty in Uckfield a step further. Starting this Saturday, 8 October, Town Councillors, and local volunteers will be running collections for Uckfield Foodbank at Tesco and Waitrose.

Volunteers will hand out leaflets detailing items needed by the foodbank to make up food parcels for those in need and collect donations from those who are in a position to give. The first collection will take place at Tesco this Saturday, from 9.30am - 4.30pm. The following Saturday (15 October) will see volunteers collecting at Waitrose.

Cllr. Angie Smith, who has organised the collection, alongside Town Mayor, Cllr. Jackie Love explains why this initiative is so important: “Demand at Uckfield foodbank has risen by 50% in the six months since April, compared to last year. In the current financial climate, we know that demand will only continue to increase. By organising this collection, I hope that we can show that Uckfield Town Council is working actively to support people in our town who are experiencing food poverty. I would like to thank Tesco and Waitrose for supporting our efforts.”

Lorraine Kirkwood, project manager for the Uckfield Foodbank, has worked with the Town Council to launch the Foodbank’s Christmas parcel programme through these two collections. Lorraine is encouraging anyone who wants to support the foodbank to sign up to the Bank the Food app, to track current foodbank needs. Residents can also donate money directly to Uckfield Foodbank via the website: www. uckfield.foodbank.org.uk.