Students at West Jesmond Primary School and The Royal Grammar School have made a difference to the lives of others by donating essential food items to two local, volunteer-led charities: The People’s Kitchen and Feeding Families. 

With pressing issues of hunger and food insecurity in the north east, leading homeless charity Shelter reports that nearly 1,000 people in the region – including 230 children – are homeless right now, with figures rising over this winter period. 

With that in mind, local schools have sought to help. Year 4 teacher at West Jesmond Primary School, Lucy Oades, said: “We realise this time of year in particular, can be especially difficult for those who rely on the donations, and we want our children to recognise the importance of volunteering and contributing to charities and to be willing to always help those vulnerable members of our society.”

Tom, a volunteer at The People’s Kitchen, who declined to provide his surname, held an assembly at the primary school telling the children about the history of The People’s Kitchen and the vital work they do, inspiring their donating efforts.

The school council took the lead to organise a collection for the charity, with the pupils of Year 4 visiting the centre to see where their donations go, as well as to find out more from the volunteers about the important work they do.

Oades added, “We didn’t keep an exact count of how many items we collected, but we received hundreds of donations, stacking four trolleys high. The charity were truly overwhelmed by our generosity, and we received a wonderful letter of thanks. The School Council have proudly displayed it our noticeboard near the main entrance.”

Receiving no government funding and feeding 250 to 300 people per night for 365 days a year, The People’s Kitchen, is a safe, non-judgemental environment for the homeless ran by 317 volunteers. 

Trustee and volunteer of the kitchen, Maggie Pavlou, told JesmondLocal: “It’s really good when schools get children to support us and we are incredibly grateful as our friends really benefit from every donation, a little really goes a long way.” 

Pavlou added: “The biggest thing we ask schools to do with their children is to just talk to them about what it is like to be homeless and to make sure they look people in the eye, and they actually acknowledge people on the streets.”

Another local school, The Royal Grammar School, have also supported the well-being of others, who face the pressing issue of food insecurity. The senior school has become a significant food donor to the charity Feeding Families over the last three years, donating approximately 50 crates before the current Christmas break.

Over the Christmas and winter period, Feeding Families aimed to provide food boxes to over 11,000 families. RGS have made a small dent in this total, but act a reminder that every single donation helps to feed a local family in the north east.

RGS’s student charity lead Lucy Stadward told JesmondLocal: “Every year this is a powerful and humbling experience for our students and staff alike. We’ve been delighted with the response from our school community who donated food and toiletries to fill a minibus.”

Juliet Sander, CEO of Feeding Families said: “The cost of living has hit everyone and we are grateful to everyone who continues to support us through difficult times. Each year we hope things will change, let’s keep hoping and keep spreading love and kindness, not just in winter.”

How inflation is causing food insecurity in the north east

Depaul UK, a national youth homelessness charity, said in 2023 that half (50%) of people surveyed in the north east are worried about eviction due to increased cost of living, and 7 in 10 said they’re struggling to afford the basics, including food, heating and travel.

With inflation at a 30-year high and increasing food prices without rising wages and benefits, people are struggling to meet their basic living needs. Essential supermarket items have seen an 11.6% increase in price — without wages and benefits increasing accordingly. 

The infographic below visually demonstrates how the cost-of-living crisis has affected the annual growth of basic food prices. The annual growth is shown, comparing prices of items in November 2023 compared to the previous year. 

How you can get involved in donating food this winter

The People’s Kitchen’s annual campaign of “Feed a Friend for a Fiver” asks the public to donate £5 to help to fund meals throughout the cold winter period.

The campaign runs from 1st October until 1st February, so there is still plenty of time to donate. So far £145,352 has been raised, however, Pavlou told JesmondLocal that they still had a way to go to reach their annual target.

“We try to raise around £200,000 a year, which provides us with our operating budget for fresh food the year, fresh meat primarily,” she said.

Handling around a quarter of a million items of food, Feeding Families have experienced an over 100% increase in demand for emergency boxes in 2023. After a successful Christmas, with more than 12,000 food boxes donated, their winter work is still not over. 

If you want to be a part of either charity’s mission to help support the people in the region who need it the most this winter, click the links below to donate:

The People’s Kitchen: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/peopleskitchen-faffaf2023

Feeding Families: https://feedingfamilies.org.uk/donate/