From Sufra North West London
If you’ve been feasting with family and friends over the Bank holiday weekend, have some pity on the 20 or so volunteers who started the #FoodParcelChallenge yesterday.
Last Sunday, Councillor Roxanne Mashari, Brent Council’s Lead Member for Employment & Skills, turned up at the food bank, alongside 22 other families in need and many volunteers, to pick up a food parcel for the start of the challenge. Together, we’re pledging to live on a typical food parcel for 5 days to raise awareness of food poverty in Brent and fundraise for Sufra NW London’s food bank.
The last financial year witnessed a 62% increase in the number of food parcels delivered, serving 3,858 people of whom more than two-thirds were unique users.
You can check out Councillor Roxanne Mashari’s daily blog on her experiences of taking part in the #FoodParcelChallenge here. Although I’m not sure I agree with her comments on Pea & Mint Soup!
The #FoodParcelChallenge seems easier that it looks. But it only hits you when you’re rummaging through the bags to see what’s for dinner. Yesterday, I had black coffee for breakfast and a biscuit, a can of baked beans for lunch and boiled rice for dinner with a tin of chick peas. And there wasn’t much of it either. You can follow our pangs of hunger and unrepentant rant on Twitter and Facebook.
But we need your help, to keep serving families in poverty and provide them with wholesome, healthy food during their time of crisis. Please support the team and sponsor us here.
The #FoodParcelChallenge will end with The Big Lunch on St. Raphael’s Estate, sponsored by Halifax and Daniel’s Estate Agents, on Saturday 30 May 2015. They’ll be a free barbecue, snacks and milkshakes, plus lots of entertainment. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
£1,000 FOR YOUR VOTE
Yes, you have until Saturday, to help us win £1,000 from the Aviva Community Fund to set up a food growing project on St. Raphael’s Estate. This will help us provide fresh fruit and vegetables at the food bank and provide new volunteering and learning opportunities for the local community.
I’m not one to keep to my 5 a day, but now that I’m doing the #FoodParcelChallenge, I would die for a carrot. Even a tomato, and I hate tomatoes.
All you have to do is click here, create a login, and give us 10 votes. Now that’s not too much to ask for, is it? We need 5,000 votes, and we’re only half-way there.
Deadline is Saturday. Do it now.
If you’ve been feasting with family and friends over the Bank holiday weekend, have some pity on the 20 or so volunteers who started the #FoodParcelChallenge yesterday.
Last Sunday, Councillor Roxanne Mashari, Brent Council’s Lead Member for Employment & Skills, turned up at the food bank, alongside 22 other families in need and many volunteers, to pick up a food parcel for the start of the challenge. Together, we’re pledging to live on a typical food parcel for 5 days to raise awareness of food poverty in Brent and fundraise for Sufra NW London’s food bank.
The last financial year witnessed a 62% increase in the number of food parcels delivered, serving 3,858 people of whom more than two-thirds were unique users.
You can check out Councillor Roxanne Mashari’s daily blog on her experiences of taking part in the #FoodParcelChallenge here. Although I’m not sure I agree with her comments on Pea & Mint Soup!
The #FoodParcelChallenge seems easier that it looks. But it only hits you when you’re rummaging through the bags to see what’s for dinner. Yesterday, I had black coffee for breakfast and a biscuit, a can of baked beans for lunch and boiled rice for dinner with a tin of chick peas. And there wasn’t much of it either. You can follow our pangs of hunger and unrepentant rant on Twitter and Facebook.
But we need your help, to keep serving families in poverty and provide them with wholesome, healthy food during their time of crisis. Please support the team and sponsor us here.
The #FoodParcelChallenge will end with The Big Lunch on St. Raphael’s Estate, sponsored by Halifax and Daniel’s Estate Agents, on Saturday 30 May 2015. They’ll be a free barbecue, snacks and milkshakes, plus lots of entertainment. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
£1,000 FOR YOUR VOTE
Yes, you have until Saturday, to help us win £1,000 from the Aviva Community Fund to set up a food growing project on St. Raphael’s Estate. This will help us provide fresh fruit and vegetables at the food bank and provide new volunteering and learning opportunities for the local community.
I’m not one to keep to my 5 a day, but now that I’m doing the #FoodParcelChallenge, I would die for a carrot. Even a tomato, and I hate tomatoes.
All you have to do is click here, create a login, and give us 10 votes. Now that’s not too much to ask for, is it? We need 5,000 votes, and we’re only half-way there.
Deadline is Saturday. Do it now.
Hi Martin. Are you hoping that Roxanne Mashari will soon replace Mo Butt as Leader?
ReplyDeleteIf I were to express such a hope about any potential Labour Group leader it would be the kiss of death to their campaign and any chance of success. This of course raises the possibility of me endorsing someone I did not want to win - so many possibilities...
DeleteBernard Collier?
DeleteHi Sam, Are you able to read the bit that says 'From Sufra North West London'?
ReplyDeleteA real challenge would be to donate her payrise to the foodbank rather than eating food she did not buy
ReplyDeleteCome on Roxanne, lets not put up the red light and make a meal out of it.
ReplyDeletePasta
Small bag of rice
Table salt
Tea bags
Packet of biscuits
Tinned pineapple pieces
Bolognese sauce
Lentils
Orange concentrate to dilute in water
One carton of UHT milk
Jam
Bakes beans x2
Rice Krispies
Snack bars x5
Tinned carrots
Tinned peas
Tinned vegetable soup
Tinned mint and pea soup
Cooking oil
Tinned sweet corn
are not war rations, make a meal out of it! Back in the day when Labour represented the working classes living within your means was usual and not seen as a challenge. A real challenge would be for Dawn Butler to live off this food parcel to ensure she does not claim £400 a month expenses on food again. This would certainly earn SUFRA sponsorship.
Come on I think most people would find this challenge pretty tough - well done to Roxanne for attempting it and raising money as well as awareness. I agree though, I would like to see Dawn Butler take this challenge, in fact I'd pay for her rations myself!
ReplyDeleteDawn Butler can well afford to pay for her own rations, even without parliamentary expenses
DeleteNot that difficult to live on rice and lentils - standard fare formany around the world. It does require some basic cooking skill to make them tasty though, which cllr Mashari doesn't possess judging by the Sufra blog!
ReplyDeleteAre spices etc not allowed?
Unfortunately not.
DeleteThere are wild herbs and plants all over the place that can be scavanged to add to flavour.
DeleteHere is a guide to urban foraging. http://www.wildfoodschool.co.uk/urban/wfsURBANGUIDE.pdf
Thanks for forage link.
DeleteHave wanted to forage but obviously dont want to poison oneself.
Forage Oats for breakfast!
Delete(Sorry)
Not Pasta and Bolognese?!? Whatever shall she cook?
ReplyDeleteSo this Orange concentrate to dilute in water, how does it differ from other orange concentrate to dilute in
ReplyDeleteRoxanne: to cook rice measure your rice in a cup and add 1.5 x this amount of boiling water. Once the pan is on a rolling boil turn the gas down to the lowest heat possible and cook for 10 mins covered. After 10 mins turn off heat and leave. Do not lift lid during this time. You will get perfect non-soggy rice that doesn't need draining. (Nb wash rice first). Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteIt's not a good idea to cover tin cans with foil once opened as they may oxidise. Always decant into plastic Tupperware and leave in the fridge
ReplyDeleteHow dare Cllr Mashari show concern for people suffering from food poverty! She should resign
ReplyDeleteRoxanne, from the blog it seems you are struggling to cook rice so here is a failsafe method.
ReplyDeleteWash rice throughly and measure the amount you need in a cup. To the rice add 1.5 x the amount of boiling water and a pinch of salt. When the pan is at a rolling boll turn the heat down to the very lowest it will go and cover with a tight fitting lid. After 10 mins turn off the heat and leave to stand for a further 10 mins but do not lift the lid.
Perfect rice every time, hope this helps.
Any advice for her Pasta as if she can't manage rice...
DeleteDepends on the brand. I usually find 1 min less than what it says on the packet for perfect al dente pasta.
DeleteI imagine Labour councillors prefer soggy flaccid mush though
"Soggy flaccid mush"? A bit like their commitment to social justice then.
DeleteWe talk of food banks, yet do not ask WHY there is a NEED? In this day and age we would expect to be above handing food out!
ReplyDeleteWhy is there a need? Benefit cuts, low wages?
Challenge the cause instead of feeding the problem.
As for POLITICAL STUNTS, from food banks to a day in a police cell, they sure do know how to MOCK them they claim to serve after there self serve themselves FIRST.
We talk of food banks, yet do not ask WHY there is a NEED? In this day and age we would expect to be above handing food out!
ReplyDeleteWhy is there a need? Benefit cuts, low wages?
Challenge the cause instead of feeding the problem.
As for POLITICAL STUNTS, from food banks to a day in a police cell, they sure do know how to MOCK them they claim to serve after there self serve themselves FIRST.
We talk of food banks, yet do not ask WHY there is a NEED? In this day and age we would expect to be above handing food out!
ReplyDeleteWhy is there a need? Benefit cuts, low wages?
Challenge the cause instead of feeding the problem.
As for POLITICAL STUNTS, from food banks to a day in a police cell, they sure do know how to MOCK them they claim to serve after there self serve themselves FIRST.
3 tries and the words in the last line still don't seem to be in the right order
DeleteI come to your country and learn to read and write English, only to be mocked by you.
DeleteNever again I say, Never again will you dare mock me :)
Keep trying and one day those words will seem to make sense.
DeleteIn future I will attempt to write to your level of understanding :)