Experts from the front line of the escalating poverty and cost of living crisis will meet in Sheffield this weekend at a conference to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the national ecumenical Christian social justice charity Church Action on Poverty (CAP).
Political, religious and community leaders will be among those attending the conference and the annual pilgrimage, organised by CAP Sheffield.
Speakers at the conference, in Pitsmoor Methodist Church Hall, include Liam Purcell of Church Action on Poverty, Gill Furniss MP for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough, Ruth Moore, director of St Wilfrid’s Centre for the homeless, vulnerable and socially excluded and Deacon Andrew Crowley from St Patrick’s Church, Sheffield Lane Top, a long time member of the Burngreave and Pitsmoor community.
CAP Sheffield chair Dr Joe Forde said: “More and more people in Sheffield and the surrounding area are being driven into poverty by the rocketing cost of living and energy prices.
“Demand for food banks is soaring and the worry and fear all this brings is damaging mental health throughout communities. Even with government intervention on energy costs, people will still be struggling with the increased cost of living.
“Church Action on Poverty has campaigned for 40 years to help ordinary people escape the poverty that is no fault of their own.
Deacon Crowley, who will be one of a small group attending from St Patrick’s, Sheffield, has been asked to say a few words about how they are setting up a group to consider their response to local needs. He told The Tablet: “We are looking at this. The context is mission – understanding the needs of our area, and how we can serve. We will reflect upon our own lifestyles to see how we can live in solidarity with the poor. More specifically, we will be setting up a group to see how we can do something practical, and how we can respond to an invitation from our local school to provide a meal and a warm place.”
Meanwhile, food bank bosses delivered a joint letter to 10 Downing Street on Monday warning of “unsustainable” demand for their services and calling for measures to prevent a winter of hunger for thousands across the UK. A delegation of representatives from The Trussell Trust, Independent Food Aid Network and Feeding Britain, all of which have good links with faith initiatives, warned that local operations were running out of food because of unprecedented demand for their services and donors being hit by the economic situation.
Emma Revie, chief executive of The Trussell Trust, said: “Two in five people claiming benefits have needed to skip meals to keep up with other essential living costs.” Caritas Westminster tweeted: “A significant number of our diocesan parishes and schools now run their own food banks, and many more support existing projects.”
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