As the UK’s cost-of-living crisis deepens, 10 families in Lewisham have been the first to benefit from a collaboration between international hunger charity, Action Against Hunger, vegetable supplier Tenderstem® and leading UK pizza restaurant, Pizza Pilgrims.
With around 2.5 million children in the UK experiencing food poverty between August 2021 and January 2022, Action Against Hunger UK and Pizza Pilgrims, came together to host a free cookery class supported by Tenderstem® at the Evelyn Community Store in Lewisham.
On 4th August, the families were given a pizza-making class by Pizza Pilgrim’s co-founder, James Elliott, who showed them how to make cost-friendly ‘oven tray’ pizzas from scratch, topped with fresh, healthy ingredients including Tenderstem® broccoli.
To support the wider Lewisham community, all the ingredients used in the demonstration – including pizza dough, tomatoes, cheese and Tenderstem® broccoli – will be available at Evelyn Community Store’s social supermarket and its 120 members.
The Evelyn Community Store has been supporting Lewisham families since 2019,
providing a range of vital services. The social supermarket enables people on a lower
income to pay £3.50 in return for £20-25 worth of food that they can select
themselves. It was set up with support from Lewisham Homes, Lewisham Council’s
social housing management company, and is run by volunteer residents of the estate.
The social supermarket – a sustainable alternative to a food bank – runs on Tuesdays
and Fridays each week.
Dave Samuels, EMEA Brand Manager, Sakata Vegetables Europe, said:
“As the cost-of-living crisis continues to deepen in the UK, we wanted to form a
collaboration that positively impacted families facing hunger this summer. The event at
Evelyn Community Store marks the start of a long-term partnership with Action Against
Hunger UK, which will see us provide vital funding and donations of Tenderstem® to
social supermarkets across the country. It was fantastic to see the Lewisham families
having such a great time cooking together at the event and learning some cost-friendly
recipes to try out at home this summer.”
James Elliott, Co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims, added:
“At Pizza Pilgrims it’s all about people and pizza. And nothing connects people better
than pizza. Making dough and pizza is something all the family can be involved in and
it’s so lovely to sit down afterwards to enjoy what you’ve created together.”
Alison McNulty, Director of Operations at Action Against Hunger UK said:
“Action Against Hunger UK is delighted to support the Evelyn Community Store in
Lewisham to tackle food poverty, with thanks to the support from Tenderstem® and
Pizza Pilgrims. Not only will this collaboration mean that the shelves at the Evelyn
Community Store are well stocked with fresh, nutritious Tenderstem® broccoli. But the
event itself allowed children and their families to enjoy a free, fun day out to learn
about delicious ingredients and recipes from experienced chefs.”
“Here at the Evelyn Community Store, we have 500 mouths to feed each week. And the demand is only increasing.”
“This class allowed members to learn more about ingredients and cooking techniques and most importantly, provided families with a tasty, nutritious meal during the summer holidays. It was so much fun,” Norman added.
ENDS
NOTES TO THE EDITORS
• Spokespeople from all organisations involved in this collaboration are available for
interview. For Action Against Hunger UK interview requests, please contact Lucy or David on the details below
• Action Against Hunger is the world’s leading charity stopping life-threatening hunger in its tracks. By training parents and healthcare workers to spot the signs, we get life-saving care to people who need it. Action Against Hunger’s research drives forward understanding of how to predict, prevent and treat life-threatening hunger. With unbeatable knowledge and unstoppable determination, the charity supported more than 26 million people across 51 countries in 2021.
• For more information, please visit Action Against Hunger, follow Action Against Hunger on Twitter and Facebook,LinkedIn, and Instagram
• To learn more about Tenderstem® visit their website
• To learn more about Pizza Pilgrims visit their website