It all helps: restaurants will encourage diners to pay an extra £1 to support the Trust’s work
(Picture: Ronan Kruithof/Unsplash)Renowned north London publican Nick Gibson has launched a new scheme which encourages restaurants to add a £1 donation onto their guests’ bills in order to support the Trussell Trusts’ network of UK-wide food banks.
Working in a similar way to StreetSmart, which has raised millions in aid of the homeless, the new initiative puts a £1 donation to diner’s bills throughout the year, until August, with restaurants able to choose the specific months they wish to sign up for. The concept was created by Nick Gibson, owner of beloved Islington restaurant and pub The Drapers Arms, and all funds raised will go directly to supporting the work of the Trussell Trust.
There are more than 1,200 UK foodbanks which rely on the work of the Trussell Trust to help families combat food poverty. According to the charity’s own figures, there are presently 14 million people in the UK living in food poverty, including four million children.
Gibson said of the situation: “In a country of real wealth and privilege, it is shocking that there are families — including working families in professional jobs — living in food poverty and in some cases, unable to ensure their children don’t go hungry.”
He added: “In the restaurant industry, we are in the business of feeding and looking after people because that is what gives us joy — a key part of that of course is that there are people lucky enough to enjoy eating and drinking as a leisure activity. It is especially offensive to those of us who do that, to think that there are people who simply cannot afford to eat at all.”
The Trust said in a statement: “With rising living costs and energy prices at record highs, many people are facing impossible decisions this winter, like whether to cook hot food or switch on the heating. But ultimately, no one in the UK should need a food bank — all of us should have enough money for the essentials like food, clothing and heating. The support of the Drapers Arms and others in the restaurant industry will help food banks within our network continue to provide that lifeline of emergency support, while we work together in the long term to ensure everyone can afford the essentials, like food.”
The Trust delivered a record 1.9 million food parcels to families during the period between April 2019 and March 2020, but anticipate that figure will be dwarfed by their current work, having already delivered more than 1.3 million food parcels in the last six months alone.
Restaurants looking to join the initiative can do so by emailing nick@thedrapersarms.com.
