Fight Poverty Fylde Coast

Born around a kitchen table in 2012, a group of friends who'd heard about young children coming to school with an empty stomach decided they had to act.

They approached local supermarkets, groceries and shop keepers to share their good food that was either surplus to their requirements or would go to waste and then gave that to local schools to share with their children and families.

Fast forward to today and the same principle is in action but on a much bigger scale. Last year alone we sourced more than 400 tonnes of food from supermarkets, wholesalers, growers and manufacturers from across the country with a focus on local sources. This enabled us to share more than 800,000 meals with those facing food crisis and need.

Wed this via our network of 120+ exceptional partners that include food banks, soup kitchens, community groups, treatment centres and temporary housing providers.

We serve those with nothing else, that have found themselves at the sharpest edge of poverty and provide them the food they need to keep going until they can find their feet again.

We serve those with no cooking knowledge and enable them to gain the skills they need to feed themselves and their families.

We serve those who are approaching the poverty trap who have some money but not quite enough to make ends meet sometimes and ensure they don't have to choose between heating their home and have something to eat, between feeding the kids and skipping dinner themselves or between buying some food and catching the bus to an important appointment.

Food is the small hinge that opens the large door. People will go without warmth, without support, without kindness or caring for prolonged periods and seek no help. Hunger though is an essential motivator that necessitates that people take action. 

Once they venture to one of our partner centres or facilities they not only receive a warm meal but also a helping hand with any manner of subjects. These include budgeting and financial awareness i.e. door step lending, benefits and housing support, substance misuse treatment, counselling, domestic abuse advice and so much more.

Take Jessica as an example. She had worked full time from being 17 years old, had raised her children who had now left home and was quite happy with her life as a care worker. She went to work one day, at age 51, just like any other but was truck down with a major heart attack. 

Rushed to Hospital she had emergency surgery and spent several weeks in recovery making sure she was going to be okay. When she was discharged she made her way home to discover as she had not paid her rent her landlord had thrown all her personal possessions into the front yard and changed the locks. She was homeless.

She checked her messages to see if the Landlord had been in touch but instead found a message to say she had been let go from her place of work for none attendance. She was jobless.

Jessica was lost, having worked hard her whole life she didn't know where to turn or what help, if any, was available to her.

Over the next 9 months Jessica lived on the streets and most nights slept under the North Pier even through the bitter and wet winter months.

Most days she would beg on the street until she had managed pull together just enough o buy a meal deal at a nearby store and made that last.

Only when the weather was particularly bad and there were too few people on the streets of the town centre did Jessica seek additional help. She went to a local community cafe and received a warm meal, some warmth and support from he kind people inside.

Only a few months later she was supported to find temporary and them pejrmamanrt accommodation, find a new job and is now back to how she was before with one small exception.

Jessica now volunteers at that same community kitchen every week to give back and help more people, just like her, to get back on their feet and meet their immediate need for food too.

There's Tim too. He arrived at school for his first day at primary school with tatty and soild clothes, an empty tummy and blackened and missing teeth. Tim is from a very poor background where no-one in the family has much of anything. 

Whilst his Mum would often skip meals to ensure that Tim and his siblings ate there were some occasion where there was literally nothing for anyone.

Their washing machine had broken in the summer and they had no money to repair or replace it at that time. 

They had never bought or used many personal care items including toothbrush and toothpaste. So Tim's personal hygiene had suffered too.

In partnership with us and other community based groups Tim's school now has a breakfast club for him go and eat at, he can take a parcel of food home with when they have nothing else and washing facilities have been put in place for his closing and himself.

We consider these to be just 2 of the great success stories that we have played our part in.

We want to and feel we MUST do more!

We want to fight hunger and feed hope across the Fylde Coast. 

Our food is donated for free, our wonderful volunteers give their time for free and we share all the food we collect for free with our partners so that all those in need can help the help and support they need for free.

Sadly though this is far from a free project. Fuel, rent, packaging, insurance, forklifts, vans and so much more all cost a great deal.

To buy a meal from the supermarket would cost around £2.60. Even with the costs we face we can provide that same meals for around 56 pence!

Based on the requests we received last year we know we need to provide at least another 90,000 meals (around 11% more) to make sure no one is turned away. That all the Jessicas and Tims get what they need to get back on their feet and have the best future possible.

Just £5 (£10 when matched by Avivia) can feed Tim, his sister and Mum for a week when they have a rough week. 

£10 (£20 matched) will fuel our Van for 70 miles enabling us to collect 1.5 tonnes of food which will provide more than 3500 meals to those in greatest need.

Will you help to make sure Jessica and Tim, and all those like them, get the help they need when they need it most and ensure their brightest future?