COVENTRY South MP Zarah Sultana has raised £10,000 for the Coventry Foodbank which is currently seeing more first-time users than ever before, writes Oscar Bland.
Ms Sultana used 20 per cent of her crowdfunding donations to help foodbank users, saying it would ‘help to fight poverty right here, right now’.
Over 2,500 people donated to the crowdfunder, which helped deliver the equivalent of 5.5tonnes of food, enough to feed more than 6,500 Coventry children.
Following appeals for more support Hugh Mcneill, the foodbanks project manager said: “It comes at a critical time for us at the foodbank, with demand increasing, whilst donations have been dropping off.
“Zarah’s very generous donation will help us get emergency food to those who are most in need.”
After visiting the foodbank, the Labour MP said: “People are struggling like never before, with more and more forced to choose between heating and eating.
“That’s why I am doing everything to support Coventry Foodbank and its incredible staff and volunteers.”
She described the need for charity when it came to food as ‘disgraceful’, adding she was ‘aiming for lasting change to end food poverty’.
Ms Sultana said she strove to put the ‘needs of the many before the greed of the few’ with her policies including ‘significantly rising the national minimum wage’ and ‘slashing energy bills’ by ‘making the super-rich pay there fair share of tax’.
Earlier this year, Ms Sultana rejected the £2,200 MP’s pay rise, and pledged to give it to Coventry Foodbank and refugee supporting charities.
Last year Coventry City Council became a Right to Food City following calls led by Ms Sultana which she described as showing the city’s determination to eradicate food poverty.
Me Mcneill believes the fight for eradication is far from over, describing the foodbank as ‘just the tip of the iceberg’.
Visit: coventry.foodbank.org.uk/ for more.
