I don’t normally talk about my charity initiatives, but I do want to bring some attention to the important and incredible work done by the football-related organisation, Fans Supporting Foodbanks.
I’ve donated to fund a special project set up by Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne, who is a co-founded of FSF, and who leads the Right to Food campaign in parliament. I think the fact that it is even necessary in this day and age is shameful. I think we have the right to expect our government, in the fifth richest economy in the world, to create a fair and just society where children don’t go hungry, where people aren’t forced into poverty.
But we can’t stand by and watch that happen, because we know it shouldn’t happen. Ian’s project is so important, because it aims to make access to food a legal right for all.
My donation will help set up a pilot scheme for community kitchens, called the Scouse Kitchen, where people can go and meet others in a safe, kind environment, talk and eat.
The idea is that it will be a healthier, more sustainable, and less demeaning alternative to the foodbank, and could hopefully one day replace foodbanks as an answer to the cost of living crisis. It’s based on research from Professor Bryce Evans, and it really could provide a solution to the terrible problems facing so many people this winter. I’d urge everyone to support Fans Supporting Foodbanks, and the Right to Food campaign too.
I know that people may have a false perception of me, because they don’t actually know me, just know some of the stories that were in the media about me when I was a kid.
The truth is, I care passionately about my community, and I care that so many children are being forced into poverty. It’s not right, and we need change, and the only way to do that, is for us all to push for it.
- You can discover more about the Right to Food campaign here
