New funding to support community food projects in Lewisham

The Food Justice Community Grants Fund is being launched by Lewisham Council and Lewisham Local to help address challenges facing food-giving projects across the borough due to the cost-of-living crisis, such as an increase in demand from residents experiencing food insecurity, decreasing donations and increasing food prices.

Organisations are able to apply for a share of £113,000 that is being funded by Lewisham Council’s Public Health team and funds raised through Lewisham Local’s Cost of Living Crisis Appeal.

The Food Justice Community Grants fund will consist of:

• 21 grants of up to £3,000 that are available to support existing community food giving projects already in operation such as foodbanks, social supermarkets, community pantries and delivery services. These grants will provide additional resources to address the multiple challenges facing food giving projects in Lewisham.
  
  
• A further five grants of up to £10,000 are available to enable food giving organisations to develop additional capacity to tackle food insecurity.

Depending on the type of grant applied for, funding can be used for a range of different things, such as the purchase of fresh and ambient food, buying extra storage capacity such as fridges and freezers, transportation costs, training and volunteer expenses.

The deadline for applications  via an online application form is Monday 13 March. Applicants will need to demonstrate how their bid will achieve one or more goals including:

• Enabling Lewisham residents to enjoy reliable and fair access to food that is sufficiently nutritious, sustainable, culturally appropriate and affordable.
  
  
• Empowering Lewisham residents with the knowledge, skills, resources and opportunities to grow, prepare, cook, eat and share food with their families and communities.
  
  
• Contributing to ending chronic hunger, promoting food resilience and reducing the need for emergency food aid.
  
  
• Determining whether the actions taken are having a positive impact on lived experience, health and wellbeing.

Councillor Juliet Campbell, Lewisham Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Refugees and Wellbeing, said:

“Too many people in the borough have difficulties accessing nutritious food, and the cost-of-living crisis has made this worse. At the same time, our hardworking local community groups who are often best placed to reach and support people have felt the impact of increased costs. This funding will help build their capacity and improve their ability to support some of our most vulnerable residents, and I’d strongly encourage any organisations who meet the criteria to apply.”

Sam Hawksley, CEO at Lewisham Local, said:

"Thank you to Public Health Lewisham and to everyone who donated and supported our Lewisham Cost-of-Living Appeal to make this funding programme possible. Lewisham Local has been supporting food giving groups across Lewisham since the pandemic; this funding comes at a crucial time to enable them to continue to provide support for the increasing number of residents who are struggling to afford to pay for food due to the cost-of-living crisis." 

For more information and to apply, please visit Lewisham Local’s website: https://www.lewishamlocal.com/food-justice-community-grants-fund/