A vegan pizza company and Hackney community food kitchen have given away 250 plant-based pizzas to help tackle food poverty.
On February 16, One Planet Pizza and Made In Hackney helped deliver hundreds of pizzas to the doors of families in Hackney in response to the ongoing pandemic and closure of schools.
Hackney, according to a study released by charity Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in 2019, had the third highest level of child poverty in the UK, with 48 per cent of children in the borough living below the poverty line in 2017/18.
11,500 children are currently on the free school meals register and so, since the start of the pandemic last year, community cookery school and charity Made In Hackney has been delivering free meals to help households in need.
Sarah Bentley, founder of Made In Hackney, said: “By providing nutritious food to families free of charge, we can ensure children receive a meal, regardless of where they live or their economic background.
"Like One Planet Pizza, our recipes are entirely plant-based, meaning that every family can enjoy them, irrespective of dietary preferences.”
Each person who is part of the Made In Hackney service receives six nutritious, culturally-varied cooked meals a week, delivered by a team of cycle couriers. It has provided more than 70,000 meals to Hackney families so far.
Made In Hackney's latest collaboration with One Planet Pizza saw create-your-own pizzas delivered with fresh vegetable toppings.
Founders of One Planet Pizza, father and son Mike and Joe Hill, said: “Made In Hackney believes that everyone should have access to affordable food that is good for people and planet alike.
"Our company aims to do good as well as produce epic plant-based pizzas, and so Made In Hackney’s message resonated with us. We decided to get involved and support their great work by delivering our One Planet Pizzas direct to families’ front doors.
"Now they can receive a wholesome treat without cost, or the need to queue up for a package during these strange times.”
In addition to the delivery, the company plans to team up with Made In Hackney again for an online pizza-making workshop in March, to teach families more about plant-based nutrition.
Support Made In Hackney at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/made-in-hackney-4
Find out more about Made In Hackney's cookery classes at https://madeinhackney.org/whats-on
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here