As Christmas is considered a joyous occasion for many, Sunshine Action UK set itself out to aid the many families that struggle to afford basic meals and necessities so that they too may also have a joyous month. In the UK, five million people live in food poverty and have trouble accessing food to make a healthy diet.
Sunshine Action UK partnered with ‘Feast with Us’ in December 2021 and launched the Christmas Sunshine Fortune Bag program with the goal of spreading warmth and festivity to those in need. Feast with Us is a local charity based in four London boroughs: Barnet, Camden, Haringey, and Islington. The charity focuses on providing regular access to good nutrition for those struggling with food poverty.
On the 11th of December, our UK Sunshine Ambassadors packed 75 fortune bags, containing food supplies such as canned soup, vegetables, and pasta. Christmas chocolates were included in our bags to add a bit of festivity. Furthermore, anti-pandemic items, including hand gels, were also provided to protect families from the Omicron outbreak. The packed bags were then donated to the community centers of Feast with Us, where they were then delivered to families in need. All of these operations occurred during the rapid spread of the omicron variant, a time where there were many challenges that arose regarding the logistics and distribution of material goods necessary for poverty-relief. It was of utmost importance to help address the increasing needs of financially vulnerable individuals and families.