Thinkmoney food bank hamper challenge | Charity | Lifestyle

Right now, this very second, as you are reading this post, there is a heartbreaking number of people living in poverty in the UK (and all over the world for that matter). There is currently over 4 million people in the UK living below the so-called living wage. If you aren't one of those 4 million then you are one of the lucky ones. But many others face the cold reality of struggling daily to put food on the table. For those people food banks are a necessity. Thinkmoney worked with some independent food banks to research the reasons behind the rise in food poverty. You can find more information about their findings, including some alarming statistics, through this infographics on their site.

Thinkmoney asked if I would like to be involved in their Food Bank Hamper Challenge. As someone who comes from a low-income background and has experienced living below the line this campaign is close to my heart. I know what it's like to have to depend on the generosity of others for basic necessities. With a £30 donation from Thinkmoney, I was challenged to hit the supermarkets and fill a hamper full of food for my local food bank. After doing some research into the most wanted items for food banks, I was ready to conquer the shops armed with nothing but a trolley and shopping list.

With a limit of £30, Aldi seemed like the obvious choice. They boast about their jaw-dropping low prices and rightly so. You'll be amazed at how little it costs to fill your cupboards. With that in mind it was only natural I chose such a reputable discount store. When donating food to your local food bank remember to buy non-pershiable food items. I wanted to make sure I got a wide variety of food from the necessary vegetables (tinned, of course!) to the homely treats we all deserve like chocolate covered biscuits!

As you can see, I managed to pick up quite a lot of food. It's all food that I'd more than happily eat, myself. It just goes to show that you don't need an awful lot of money to be able to fill up your cupboards and serve a tasty, well-balanced meal. With £30, I was able to buy an amazing amount of food including: pasta, soup, rice, cornflakes cereal, jam, porridge oats, carrots, tuna, beans, pasta sauce, crackers, biscuits, marmalade, peaches, mandarins, sweetcorn, hot dogs, meatballs, sugar and more. Drinkswise I picked up UHT milk, cordial, tea and coffee granules. I actually managed to buy more food than photographed (roughly an extra 12 tins of food because my original food shop only came up to about £23!).

As well as food, I also picked up a couple of extra essentials to help people out, which were washing-up liquid and laundry detergent powder. It's the simple things like being able to wash your clothes that so many of us will take for granted. So, whilst your picking up some food, don't forget that house-hold items can also be helpful donations to provide.

To find out where I could donate my food, I simply visited my council's website where I found a huge list of possible food banks. I chose a nearby business that operate a drop-off point for food donations. They then distribute the food to the nearby food banks. My mum kindly visited the drop-off point for me and whilst there snapped some photos of the nicely organized warehouse full of food ready to go out to those in need. Each person who visits the food bank is given 3 shopping bags containing various food items.

It has been an absolute delight to work with Thinkmoney and provide my local food bank with a huge donation. I hope this donation brings a smile to the faces of some people in my town. I love helping out people when I can. When you do your weekly shop, picking up just one extra item to donate to your local food bank could make the whole world of a difference for a less-fortunate family. I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much I have enjoyed being involved in this campaign. Sometimes, the smallest gestures can have the greatest impact.

B. This post has been created in partnership with Thinkmoney, however all words and thought remain that of my own. If you have any questions, feel free to ask :)