SCHOOLS are being urged to use their harvest festivals to boost food bank donations as the cost of living crisis hits.
A new "Food SOS" initiative has been set up to co-ordinate harvest festivals and encourage schools to help with donations ahead of the winter price crunch.
The scheme aims to help combat food poverty in Brighton and Hove, where more than 5,000 people are using food banks and similar projects each week according to the Emergency Food Network.
Damien Jordan, headteacher at Fairlight Primary and Nursery School in St Leonard's Road in Brighton, said: “The cost of living crisis and the impact it is having on families and children is extremely worrying.
"Children are going without basics on a regular basis and parents are going without basics almost daily in order for their children to have them.
"This is not one or two per school. This is double figures in most classes and schools can only help so far and with so much.”
READ MORE: Brighton and Hove food banks statistics revealed
Estimates from Emergency Food Network suggest that nearly 1,000 meals are being provided to struggling people each week, with worries that more and more families will need to choose between heating and eating.
Statistics from the network suggest the number of people seeking food banks and other similar projects has risen by around 18 per cent. Many food banks are also having to contend with balancing higher demand with a near 70 per cent drop in donations.
The Food SOS campaign will help schools by providing resources for organising harvest festivals in the autumn. Schools can access these either online or in paper copies and are also designed to be distributed to struggling families.
Helen Starr-Keddle, a member of the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, said: “Food SOS will show how we can support our neighbours during what will be a difficult and dangerous winter for many.
"This support is absolutely vital as beleaguered community projects run low on donations and their committed volunteers continue to support huge numbers of people at risk of malnutrition, homelessness, and mental and physical health breakdown.”
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