£10k Christmas feed for needy from the big man in red
MAYOR Joe Anderson has donned his best Labour-red Santa outfit to make sure nobody in Liverpool misses out on their Christmas dinner.
They mayor has handed over £10,000 from his Hope Fund to help needy families enjoy the festivities.
North, Central and South Liverpool foodbanks have each given out vouchers to families for fresh meat and vegetables across their centres.
The remainder of the money will be used towards the costs of transport, logistics and storage over the winter period, when the foodbanks are at their busiest.
Mayor Joe Anderson said: “Demand for foodbanks continues to grow in our city due to a combination of austerity and welfare reforms.
“Christmas Day is the one day of the year when no-one should go without a decent meal, and this funding will help give needy families some much-needed cheer this festive season.”
Meanwhile, the woman leading Liverpool City Council’s struggle to deal with the effects of Government benefit cuts has warned that the weeks following Christmas could prove crippling for some.
And she stressed that help is available for those plunged into crisis.
“January is a very, very difficult month. It really gets tough for families and people can go down very quickly,” said Jane Corbett, Mayoral Lead for Fairness and Tackling Poverty.
Basics
Councillor Corbett said the £2m Mayoral Hardship Fund had been created “to respond to the exceptional and growing pressures on Liverpool residents on a low income”.
Families facing financial crisis or dealing with an emergency can apply to the fund which provides help with the costs of basics like food, fuel, clothing, toiletries and sanitary products, housing and items for the home, income maximisation and budgeting support, access to affordable finance, digital access and access to justice.
Since it began, the fund has provided support with such things as the cost of redecorating after a fire, children’s clothing, the cost of a medical report for a benefit appeal, carpets to help make accommodation suitable for a child with disabilities, and the cost of installing a gas cooker.
You can apply for support by calling 0800 456 1523 and asking for your claim to be considered under the Mayoral Hardship Fund.
When making an application give your name, address and telephone number and provide basic details of what type of support may be needed.
The office opening hours for ringing to apply to the Hardship Fund and Liverpool Citizens Support Scheme are 8am to 8pm Mon-Fri apart from Bank Holidays (Christmas Day and Boxing Day and New Year’s Day).
