New foodbank opens in Chapeltown as Leeds poverty crisis deepens amid coronavirus lockdown

Let's Eat is being run by the Chapeltown Youth Development Centre and had been in the pipeline since Christmas but, organisers say the need for it, in one of the most deprived parts of Leeds, had only been "intensified" by the coronavirus outbreak.

In just two weeks it has helped to feed almost a hundred local people with the delivery of 35 food parcels from the project's base at Prince Phillip Community Centre, just off Scott Hall Road.

Let's Eat has struck up a partnership with the food redistribution charity Fareshare. It drops food supplies at the centre on a Wednesday where they are being sorted for delivery by the end of the week.

The idea initially came about to help families whose youngsters access clubs, teams and facilities run by the project, but it has now been opened up to the rest of the community.

Annie Hutton is a fundraising volunteer at Chapeltown Youth Development Centre and is spearheading the project. She said more often they were getting kids coming to football training that had not had breakfast, or couldn't afford to buy food or a drink in the already subsidised canteen after matches - even though it cost just £1 for chicken curry.

She told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "We were going to work with Fareshare pre-COVID, it was in the pipeline but now we are just running with it. The idea was that we could use some of the product, or whatever was left, to share with some of our families. That was back at Christmas and with COVID it became more urgent.

"There has always been a need in our community. We are in one of the most deprived areas of Leeds. We were already aware that a lot of people are disadvantaged, living in poverty and had issues with benefits, even before universal credit.

"There has been a massive increase in difficulties and issues with the benefits system, people on low incomes, wages not rising in line with living costs and in work poverty is now a major issue. It was all brewing and coming together. COVID caused a crash and now it has intensified."

Ms Hutton explains that while food parcels they are currently delivering have enough for five days worth of food, they are only able to take tinned goods or ambient produce from Fareshare as they don't have commercial fridge or freezer storage.

A fundraising platform has been started via GoFundMe so Let's Eat can eventually buy cold storage which would enable them to accept more products from Fareshare and increase the variety and capacity of food parcels, especially as many families they help are from a black and ethnic minority background and other food bank parcels don't take into account dietary requirements.

She said: "We have a high proportion of BAME members and what I have found, speaking to them, is food parcels they have had from other organisations have not take into account cultural needs. We had one vegetarian, halal family and they were given tins of chicken and chorizo soup. They are in financial difficulty but there is still that humane aspect, we want to be able to offer foods that are appropriate."

Taking the foodbank forward, Let's Eat has teamed up with other organisations such as Freedom4girls which tackles period poverty, and the long term aim is for a food store to be open to the public at the centre.

Ms Hutton added: "We want to reduce the stigma, especially in the BAME community. They are proud and no-one wants to not be able to feed themselves but because we have a relationship we are well placed to offer that link and a familiar face. Eventually we want to turn it into a foodstore at the centre and make it 'pay as you feel'."

Working Together

Local businesses, the council and the police have come together to help get Let's Eat off the ground.

Weekly contributions of stock (food, toiletry and household items) have come from Morrisons at Harehills and have been promised until the middle of June, there has been a one off product donation from Waitrose at Meanwood and six donations have been made from members of the public as well as a two way partnership with Hughie Subham at Hughie’s Homeless Outreach in terms of helping each other out.

West Yorkshire Police has helped out with the delivery of some food parcels and linking the foodbank with sources of stock.

Sgt Mark Rothery the policing team at Stainbeck said: "We are happy to help support Chapeltown Youth Development Centre and the vulnerable and elderly sections of our community during such a difficult and challenging time".

Chapel Allerton ward councillors, Jane Dowson, Eileen Taylor and Mohammed Rafique helped in securing a £1250 grant (equivalent to one year of FareShare membership fees) from the Inner North East Community Committee Wellbeing Fund.

Coun Dowson said: "Coun Rafique, Coun Tayor and I are proud that we have been able to help CYDC launch its Let’s Eat project by providing the funding for membership of Fareshare for a full year. Helping families in the whole area not only at this difficult time but also into the future."

And, the managing director of Norcon Containers at Stourton, Sean Birdsall, will supply a container that can be converted into a cafe and have agreed to do the fabrications.

Ms Hutton added: "The best thing, in a difficult time, is people coming together and helping and we really appreciate that. There are really great people in Leeds doing really good work."

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