With increasing pressure from families in need Chipping Barnet Foodbank takes the lead in strengthening local support

With the loss of a central clearing point to support Barnet’s foodbanks, organisers say there is added urgency behind the need for a day-long event in November to consider how to strengthen the distribution of supplies to needy families.

Last year around 153,000 emergency food parcels were handed out to residents across the borough and the estimate for the current year is significantly higher.

Given the pressure on many family incomes – and the fact that much of the distributed food goes to children – the summit will bring together foodbank volunteers and community representatives for discussions on how best to tackle food insecurity.

“Feeding Barnet: A Food Security Summit”, which is being hosted by the Barnet Food Partnership and organised by the Chipping Barnet Foodbank, will be held at the Ark Pioneer Academy on Saturday 2 November.

The summit will be addressed by an impressive line-up of academics, experts and activists. Leading Barnet councillors and the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Tony Vourou, are due to be present and the organisers hope the borough’s MPs will be able to attend.

Bob Bevil, advocacy and campaigning lead for Chipping Barnet Foodbank, says there is an urgent need to recognise that the existing system for the distribution of emergency food supplies is not sustainable.

The aim of the summit is to have an informed conversation with nationally known experts to explore how the community can be more proactive in tackling food insecurity within the borough.

He believes the gravity of the situation has been accentuated by the closure of the Barnet Food Hub – see above – in the former East Barnet Library.

“By bringing the community together in an informed and proactive way around the issue of food insecurity, we will be better empowered to make informed decisions in the future to build a well-managed, sustainable, food-secure Barnet for all?

“The current situation is simply not sustainable,” says Mr Bevil.

Use the link to register to attend the event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/feeding-barnet-a-food-security-summit-tickets-1004514689477

The panel of speakers includes:

Professor Nathan Davies – UCL, Division of Medicine

Heather Buckingham – Social Change Advisor, Trussell

Abby Preston – Project Officer, Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN)

Andrew Forsey – National Director, Feeding Britain

Assistant Professor Lopa Saxena – Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR), Coventry University – co-author of research on “The Emergence of Social Supermarkets in Britain: Food Poverty, Food Waste and Austerity Retail.”

Gary Stott – Executive Chairman, Community Shop CiC

Daniel Mermelstein – The voice of Universal Basic Income (UBI) in the London Borough of Barnet where a trial is being planned