A wealth of innovative community food spaces including expanding associations of empowering community pantries and innovative social enterprises. For example, the number of community food providers (such as pantries) has doubled during the pandemic, with at least 18 new community food providers in the last 12 months.
A great deal of people who care about ‘Good Food’ for all; people across the city have shown that they care about the issues of food insecurity in the way they have generously donated time, food and money to local organisations, especially over the Covid-19 pandemic.The North Liverpool Foodbank alone has been supported with 22,000 hours by 200 volunteers last year. There is also local interest in small food businesses and locally produced foods.
A strong emergency food network and a large number of food banks and emergency meal providers. There are 23 Trussell Trust food banks in Liverpool (the highest number in the NW and 4th highest of any local authority in the UK) and many independent food banks. And even though we know it isn’t right that anyone should be left hungry or living in extreme poverty meaning they need to use emergency food, our strong emergency food network is a lifeline for many while we work for long term change.
A history of food manufacture that includes some of the UK’s household names and a thriving independent food sector that showed a great deal of adaptability and resilience and played a vital role in ensuring that no one goes without during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pioneering work in tackling poverty and food insecurity including the Come2gether website and Citizens Support Scheme that ensure everyone in crisis have basic needs met; The Liverpool Play Partnership that has brought together over 60 local Voluntary Community and Faith groups for the past 12 years to ensure that playschemes took place in every school holiday, with food as part of the provision, supporting over 4,000 children and families every year. Take a look at their Holiday Activity and Food Programme for the summer of 2021.
A unique geographical position in a region with a port that plays a role in food and agricultural product import and export. In the Liverpool local authority across 56 farm holdings, farmers are growing increasing numbers of livestock in the grasslands surrounding the city. In the wider North West, these grasslands support livestock and dairy production, and farming employs approximately 40,000 people.
“In December I met Sikarthmi, a Sri Lankan mother of four who has lived in Liverpool for eight years. She was waiting in line at Micah Liverpool, one of the city’s food banks, finding herself without enough to support her children after experiencing a relationship breakdown. Sikarthmi told me how the volunteers at Micah made her feel at such ease, she beamed and said “it’s like family here”. Her words made me so proud to be a part of this welcoming, generous city.”
– Dr Naomi Maynard, Former Network Coordinator of Feeding Liverpool
“Places like [our pantry] are great for the community, I want it to be here for ages because I love being there but it’s not something I want to see in the city. I don’t want people struggling and feeling that they have to come to our pantry. I want them to be able to come to our shop because it’s a shop and still access fresh food that they can make meals with. Across the city there are volunteers that are working to make that happen for people and that’s what’s good about our city”
–Hilary*, 50’s, West Derby, March 2021.
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