I’m raising awareness and funds for food banks in the run up to Christmas. I’d love your support. Even better join in.

The story of the rise of foodbanks in the UK was told in Ken Loach and Paul Laverty’s film I, Daniel Blake. It’s a powerful comment on modern Britain.

It tells the story of a 59 year old joiner who is forced to go back to work after a heart attack, and a single mother of two young children.

The unlikely pairing fall between the cracks of the welfare state and become reliant on food banks for basic groceries.

Between April and September 2017, foodbanks managed by the Trussell Trust distributed 586,907 three day emergency food supplies to children and adults in crisis across Britain.

It’s a 13% increase on the same period last year, and if you add independent foodbanks to the Trussell figures you can almost certainly double the numbers.

Foodbanks in areas of full Universal Credit rollout have seen as much as a 30% increase in demand for services as a result of a six-plus week waiting period.

Reverse Foodbank advent calendar

Here’s a really simple way in which you can help. Use Google or the Trussell Trust website to find your local foodbank.

Next, put aside an item of food every day for 24 days. On the final day take what you’ve collected to a foodbank.

It doesn’t matter when you start. In fact the earlier the better so that foodbanks have a chance to distribute your donations around the Christmas period.

Here’s a list if you’re wondering what to donate.

Cereal

Soup

Pasta

Rice

Pasta sauce

Beans

Tinned meat

Tinned vegetables

Tea/coffee

Tinned fruit

Biscuits

Toiletries

Household cleaning items

Feminine products

Baby supplies

Please share your progress and stories on social media using the hashtag #FoodbankAdvent.

If 500 people who follow my blog took action, we’d collect more than 10,000 items of food.

Boxing Day swim for the Bay Foodbank

We’ll also be heading to Longsands beach, Tynemouth on Boxing Day for the annual swim. It’s become a family tradition.

This year Ellie, Freya, Dan and I are raising cash for the Bay Foodbank in Whitley Bay. The Posh Geordie has threatened to join us.

We’d appreciate your donations. £5 would great, £10 would fantastic, and £20 would be amazing.

I want to keep this as straightforward as possible. Please send donations via PayPal to me at stephen.waddington@gmail.com, or by post to me at 85 Heathfield, West Allotment, Newcastle NE27 0BP.

Every penny that we raise will be used to buy food for the Bay Foodbank. We’re aiming to beat the £1,000 that we raised last year.

I’ll publish a list of donations and audit trail, and share photos of the groceries being delivered to the foodbank.

Thanks for your support.