#WhatOneThing? Lent/Ramadan appeal

This Lent/Ramadan, we are putting out a challenge to the whole community: what one thing could you go without so that others can go with?

We are inviting people to pick one thing to give up throughout this period, either on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, and to donate the money saved to the Lambeth Foodbanks so that it can benefit those who really need it.

Food poverty in the UK is on the increase and in the last year alone we distributed over 27,000 emergency food parcels. People don't just need food however, they need the wraparound support we offer to help them identify and tackle the root causes of their food poverty.

This year, Lent and Ramadan overlap. For Christians and Muslims, this period is a special time providing opportunity to develop self-control through fasting, draw closer to God, and learn more about compassion and showing generosity to the poorest and most disadvantaged amongst us.

It provides us all with a perfect opportunity to take stock of what we have and consider how we can share this with others to build a stronger, more resilient community. Anyone can take part and at a level that is appropriate for them. It could be the morning coffee you go without or a shop-bought lunch, a trip to the cinema or that new jumper you don’t really need. Whatever you choose to go without, and however often, it will all make a big difference to the lives of others.

If you would like to take part, the challenge dates are as follows and we would encourage you to donate the money saved as you progress through the 30 or 40 days:

40 days of Lent: 5th March – 19th April

30 days of Ramadan: around 28th February – 30th March

We rely on our community to share the word about what we do, so please do share this campaign with your friends, families and work colleagues. If every person who read this shared it with ten others, our reach could be huge!

You can also follow our work on Instagram: @oasiswaterloo

Thank you so much!

What is a Foodbank?

The Lambeth Foodbanks are part of the Trussell network and include Waterloo Foodbank and Lambeth South & Croydon Foodbank.

Foodbanks provide emergency food and practical support to people who have been left without enough money to live on. In addition to providing emergency food, we also provide advice services to help people tackle the root causes of their food poverty and we campaign for change in the social security system to ensure everyone has enough to live on.

You can follow Lambeth Foodbanks on Instagram: @lambethsouthandcroydon and @waterloofb