Church of England: Harvest festivals focus on foodbanks
Although I’m heartened the CofE are focusing on foodbanks as part of Harvest Festival, I find it desperately sad that we need foodbanks at all.
Churches across the country are supporting vital foodbanks for their local communities as part of their traditional harvest festival.
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“We need foodbanks,” said churchwarden Dorothea Hackman, “so families feeling the bite of the recession and reduced benefits this winter will not have to send their children hungry to school.”
In the past year the North Liverpool Foodbank has fed 3000 people (just under half being children) raising 27 tonnes of food mainly from local churches and schools.
Vicar of St Andrew’s Clubmoor, Canon Steve McGanity said “Harvest is a time to remember God’s abundant generosity yet in 21st century Britain we are faced with the shocking reality of starving families being unable to provide for themselves. Our Foodbank in Liverpool struggles to meet the increasing demand from local families in need. Our Harvest services give our church communities the opportunity to be involved in providing for the needs of the poorest families in the most deprived communities in Liverpool.”
Tags: Church Life
October 11th, 2012 at 11:24 am
I agree with your thoughts, the need to help people out of food poverty in a developed nation is very worrying. I help at a foodbank in Brixton, and the stories are heart breaking. If we weren’t there, families would go hungry and struggles would be left unshared. It’s a privilege to help, but should not be necessary.
October 11th, 2012 at 3:27 pm
A food bank? That’s a novel idea, and sort of goes back to the old days of bartering.
“I’ll have that nice pair of jeans please”
“Yes sir. That’ll be three loaves of brown bread and two packets of frozen peas.”
Just think, no more need for foreign currencies and things like that. However, won’t there be the danger of all the food going off and becoming inedible whilst it’s stored in the vaults?
October 11th, 2012 at 3:34 pm
“If we weren’t there, families would go hungry and struggles would be left unshared.”
The very fact the you are there (christian foodbanks) is contributing to the subversion of the subsistence welfare state and is taking the food from the mouths of children.
It is documented that the DWP have subverted legitimate claims for welfare and issued foodbank vouchers in place of legitimate benefits.
Better to stand back and bear witness than be complicite in the self-righteous potemkin welfare foodbank scams, that are being used as political propaganda to propagate the ideologically driven welfare cuts.
At this time I can think of no other activity that will drive a wedge between the common man and the church than the promotion of foodbanks as a tool to subvert subsistence welfare.
The welfare budget is being moved away from the underclass into the pockets of a privateering charity class. The only enterprise the British political class ken is the enterprise of corruption.