On Thursday January 19, Islamic Relief UK will partner with East London Mosque to distribute 500 essential food hampers as well as supermarket vouchers to vulnerable families in East London. The distribution will take place at the East London Mosque Foodbank.

The new year continues to see the cost of living crisis pushing families into poverty and London has seen an alarming rise in food insecurity and the need for financial assistance, fuelling the need for food banks across the capital.

Islamic Relief UK will continue to support the most affected through food banks, mosques and other organisations but are calling on the UK government to ensure people have adequate incomes to cover the essentials.

A new report by the resolution foundation finds that there are large increases in people unable to afford essentials compared to the pre-pandemic period. In November 2022, 28 per cent (up from 9 per cent pre-pandemic) of adults say that they could not afford to eat balanced meals, and 11 per cent or 6 million adults (up from 5 per cent pre-pandemic) reported being hungry in the past
month but they didn’t eat as they lacked enough money to buy food.

These very alarming outcomes are more common among groups
known to experience disadvantage. This includes low-income families, those suffering from domestic abuse, the homeless, asylum seekers and refugees who were already struggling to feed themselves.

Many families in East London have been hit hard by the pandemic and suffered a cold Winter of choosing whether to heat or eat.

To help some of the most vulnerable, hampers will be packed with essential food by East London Mosque staff and volunteers on Wednesday 18th and 19th Jan, before delivery to locations across the city and residents registered with the East London Mosque Foodbank.

The food packs will contain essential items such as bread, pasta, tea, biscuits, oil, sugar and others.

Sufia Alam, Head of Programmes at East London Mosque said: “In the past few years coming out of the pandemic we have seen a 70 percent rise in residents registering at our foodbank for relief. Families are struggling with the increasing cost of heating their homes and buying food.

This year’s winter pressures have continued well into January, so families will really appreciate this additional support from Islamic Relief and the East London Mosque.

We are pleased to receive the small grants that allow us to continue to serve the most vulnerable in our communities. This year we will also give out supermarket food vouchers so that vulnerable families can buy essential food of their choice.”

Tufail Hussain, Director of Islamic Relief UK said: “The scale of the crisis continues to unfold and it is more important than ever to join hands in supporting those in need. We thank East London Mosque for their generous support to the community.

These food banks will provide much needed relief during a challenging Winter and we hope this will show the local community that they are not alone.”