Charities

The charity we are currently supporting is CHURCH ACTION ON POVERTY.

The charity describes itself as:

‘A national ecumenical Christian social justice charity committed to tackling poverty in the UK. We work in partnership with churches, and people in poverty themselves to tackle the root causes of poverty.’

The charity was established in 1982 and is based near Manchester. It has been working for nearly 45 years to tackle UK poverty.

Here are some examples of the current campaigns:

A challenge poverty week held every October.

Poverty Media unit to help the real experts tell their story more widely

Self-reliant groups transforming lives through micro savings and enterprise

Local pantries, member run food clubs making large savings on the weekly shop.

We are hoping that we can raise awareness of some of these campaigns and perhaps engage in fund raising in your local area. A campaign that is relatively easy to support is ‘Local Pantries’

Most of us are familiar with food banks but perhaps do not realise that to use a food bank most of them ask that people be referred by an organisation such as Citizens’ Advice or a professional body like a school etc. Many people in poverty do not wish to be stigmatised in this way and will not use food banks.

‘Local Pantries’ are different. They allow the users to retain their DIGNITY, offer CHOICE and maintain HOPE. Food and fresh produce are offered at much reduced prices. The users have to become members of the Local Pantry and then for a fixed price usually between £4-£7 members are able to select their own choices of food up to a certain value and potentially save around £21 on their weekly shop. The food and fresh produce are sourced from supermarkets. There are some excellent videos on how Local Pantries are run on the Church Action on Poverty website www.church-poverty.org.uk under the ‘Your Local Pantry’ page > News >Stories from Pantries.

To summarise the benefits that Local Pantries bring see below.

Pantries have been shown to:

• Strengthen communities

• Improve health and wellbeing

• Improve household finances

• Prevent waste

• Prevent hunger

• Build dignity and agency

We can safely say that Local Pantries are not just all about food. They demonstrate that by giving people the support they need and maintaining the core values of DIGNITY, CHHOICE and HOPE, many other important benefits are achieved.

There are currently over 120 Your Local Pantry (YLP) neighbourhoods operating across the UK. Perhaps you can find one in your area and offer to help with running it or donate food. If you would like to support the work of Church Action on Poverty by making a financial contribution, please send your donation to the UCA by bank transfer to:

Unitarian Christian Association, Sort code:20-82-13, Account number:93680363

Please reference your donation CAP. Alternatively send a cheque to The UCA Treasurer,

20 Handforth Road, Wilmslow. SK9 2LU. It is also possible to donate on the Church Action on Poverty website www.church-poverty.org.uk

The UCA raised £1000 in the year 2025-2026. We hope to raise at least £1000 in 2026-2027.

Church Action on Poverty Sunday falls on Sunday, 18 October 2026. The theme for 2026 is “Food, Faith & Fellowship”. It is an annual opportunity for churches across the UK to give, pray, and take action together to challenge injustice. Please consider taking part and supporting this charity.