Hackney Foodbank to host art auction at St Barnabas church
Liza Cucco (left) and a volunteer collect for Hackney Foodbank. Photograph: Phoebe Cooke
Local artists and musicians will on Friday convene for Hackney Food Bank’s pop-up art auction at St Barnabas Hall in Dalston, to raise money for the charity organisation in an evening of music, art and entertainment.
The largely volunteer-run Hackney Food Bank relies on donations to provide emergency food issues for around 3,000 people a year. It was established in September 2012, when a group of churches identified a gap in services.
“They saw there was a food bank in Islington and one in Tower Hamlets, but not in Hackney – yet Hackney’s one of the most deprived places in the UK,” said Hackney Food Bank head Liza Cucco.
Though under the umbrella of Trussel Trust, a Christian organisation affiliated with around 200 food banks in the UK, Hackney Food Bank is run independently and has to generate its own funding.
From its office in Stoke Newington, Hackney Food Bank distributes once a week at three different points – in Hoxton, Upper Clapton and Stoke Newington – but does not have enough space to keep goods and are under-resourced. Ms Cucco hopes that with support from the fundraiser they may be able to afford a van for transport.
Around 20-25 tons of such goods are likely to be donated in the coming year, making up around 3,000 emergency food issues for Hackney people in need.
“The increase that we’ve seen in using the food bank is directly related to the benefit changes last April,” said Ms Cucco.
“Before April 2013 we saw an average of 125 people a month over all the months we were open.
“Then after April the number of people immediately doubled – we started seeing between 200 and 250 people a month. That happened without us increasing the number of individuals able to refer people to food banks.”
All are welcome at the event at St Barnabas Hall, where entrance will be granted by donation of vital food bank goods such as long-life milk, instant coffee or washing up liquid.
#POPUP AUCTION @HackneyFoodbank Friday 4 April 6.30-9pm – St Barnabas, Shacklewell Row, E8 2EA