VOLUNTEERS have vowed to tackle the growing issue of inner-city hunger in Derby.
A summit to discuss the problem was held yesterday at Derby Cathedral. It reflected the Big IF rally in London today to demand that world leaders tackle the causes of global hunger.
At the local event, the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Rev Dr Alastair Redfern, said the problem was not just overseas, it was right on our doorstep.
He said: "Increasingly, we are seeing people going hungry in the city. The rise in the number of people using food banks has been huge.
"This is down to many reasons, including immigration, legal or illegal, increasing populations and many families finding it difficult to find work at the moment.
"It adds up to people not being able to afford enough food and so we are today looking to launch schemes to meet this need."
He said that volunteers, including people from the Church, Sikh gurdwaras and mosques, were co-ordinating to offer food to those in need.
The food distribution initiative is being introduced in Derby through Fareshare, a charity which provides surplus goods from the food and drink industry to organisations working with disadvantaged people.
At the event, which was co-hosted by Mid Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham, there were presentations by speakers from Christian Aid and the IF campaign, as well as a speech by Fiona Twycross, a London Assembly member who has produced a food poverty report for Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London.
David Callow, who was at the service, founded the Derby Refugee Advice Centre, now in Lara Croft Way. He said he had seen a rise in people seeking help with finding food. The 74-year-old added: "The background of people has changed. When I first started the centre in 2002, there was a lot of Iraqi men and now you see people from Eritrea and Africa.
"I think the event today has been really important because I see a lot of complacency about food around me. So much food goes to waste.
"And it isn't just supermarkets or businesses wasting it on a large scale, though that is definitely a problem.
"But at home, individually, people have a responsibility to make sure they don't waste food. And if food is not going to be eaten, we need to make sure it goes to those who need it."
Sarah Wall, of Derby, who attended the service, said: "The IF campaign wants to make sure there is enough food in the world for everyone but I feel that it does not, perhaps, get to the heart of the problem.
"Rather than people going out and distributing food, we should be ensuring people can grow it themselves. Food production should be in the hands of people who need food and we need to make sure that is the case."
