Living below the line

Some of our students have been “living below the line” - living on a food budget of less than £1 per day to raise awareness of poverty and raise money for Durham Foodbank.

It’s said that 1 in 5 people in the UK live below the poverty line. Durham Foodbank gave 18,666 three-day food parcels to people in crisis last year and in the last five years, the use of Foodbanks across the UK has increased by 73%.

Here’s what one of the students taking part, James, said about “living below the line”:

“We’ve experienced the direct effects of living on a pound a day for food: hunger, meals lacking nutrition and variation and weighing out portions of pasta and porridge oats, eking them out to make them last.

We’ve also experienced some of the indirect effects: reduced energy and concentration, feeling colder and being excluded - not being able to just get a coffee or a snack.

I’ve personally been struck with how potentially hidden it could be. If I hadn’t told people, they wouldn’t have known and the shame that comes with living in poverty so often leads to being isolated.

It’s been a humbling, challenging and enlightening five days in many ways and one which has made me reassess how I view, value and use food.”

And here’s the thoughts of another, Nick:

“I cannot wait to get back again to a normal diet again, and am so relieved I don’t have to experience porridge with water again for a while.
It’s been such an experience having to count up the pennies, ration up the portions and stick to the plainest of foods, where food is no longer a luxury but a necessity. But what is even more heart breaking is realising that for many this is a reality day by day, week by week that unlike me doesn’t end for them tomorrow. 5 days was tough but fun, but longer than that I can’t imagine how hard it must be to survive let alone thrive. Yet for so many people this kind of lifestyle is a reality, even here in County Durham. And that is exactly why we have been raising awareness and money for Durham Foodbanks this week.”

The challenge was organised by Just Love, Durham. For more information, visit their Facebook page.

To make a donation to Durham Foodbank, click here.

Make Lunch - filling the Holiday Hunger gap

God is calling us as a church to love and serve the poor and needy around us.

One opportunity we have to do this is through Make Lunch.

A core team led by Jenny Booth has connected with the charity Transforming Lives for Good to bring to Durham the Make Lunch initiative: providing an activity club and nutritious lunch in the school holidays for children - and families - who might otherwise go hungry.

We’ll be running Make Lunch at Gilesgate Primary School, Durham, initially on Tuesdays and Thursdays for four of the six weeks of school summer holiday. Exact dates will be confirmed shortly.

We’re looking for volunteers to: prepare food, help with children’s activities, and meet and chat with parents. Various time slots will be available, around the club’s core lunchtime hours.

If you would like to help, please contact Jenny Booth.

For more information on Make Lunch, check out this video…