#FoodBankAdvent 2018

I read a rather upsetting statistic tonight. In areas where Universal Credit has been fully rolled out for 12 months or more there is a 52% increase in the number of people needing to access foodbanks. This is compared to 13% in other areas. It goes to show that Universal Credit is not working like the government would want you to believe. In fact it is pushing people into poverty!

The Trussel Trust has also found that just 5% of people with disabilities or chronic health conditions said that Universal Credit covers their full living costs. The cost of food is rapidly rising and people are losing hundreds of pounds of benefits when being transferred to Universal Credit. It is then no surprise that so many people are finding themselves in a desperate and heartbreaking situation.

UK Money Bloggers Reverse Advent Calendar 2018

I have decided to take part in the UK Money Bloggers 2018 Reverse Advent Calendar. It is my way to try and spread a little awareness and to give back. The whole ethos behind my blog is my desire to help people with disabilities or chronic health conditions on low income save money. So this is something I really want to get behind.

Advent calendars are big business! They started in their modern form in the 1900s as a countdown to the birth of Christ. Each door had a picture behind it, gradually as time went on the suprise behind each door became more and more elaborate. From chocolates, to Lego, beauty products and gin.

To me personally the spirit of Christmas is giving which is another reason why a reverse advent calendar appeals to me.

What is a reverse advent calendar?

A reverse advent calendar is the opposite of what you would normally expect. Instead of receiving a gift everyday you give one! The aim of the #foodbankadvent is to collect donations for the Food Bank so people in need don’t go hungry this Christmas.

How can I get involved?

Firstly check out this list of what goes into a food parcel and then it might also be a good idea to contact your local Food Bank so see what items they are currently mostly in need of.

Next comes the collecting! Find a suitable box to store your donations in and for the next 24 days place an item in your box, remember each and every one of them will be hugely appreciated.

When should I start?

It is best to start as soon as possible! A traditional advent calendar starts on December 1st but if you follow this schedule it won’t allow time to drop off your donations and for the Food Bank to process and distribute them before Christmas begins. In the fortnight up to Christmas the Trussel Trust usually sees a 45% increase in the number of referrals it receives for emergency food parcels. It is preferable to get your reverse advent calendars donated by the first week of December where possible.

Get social

Whilst part of the reverse advent is about making a donation to the Food Bank another important aspect is raising awareness! Share your participation with the hashtag #FoodBankAdvent and tag me @mymoneyspot on Twitter so I can share your posts too! The more people who see what you are doing and why it is so important the better.

Last year many people outside the UK Money Blogger community saw what they were doing and decided to join in too which was amazing and hopefully we can encourage more people to take part this year.