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Independent Charity Organisation ‘V’ is calling out for young volunteers to help with their current food poverty campaign in York. Promoting the belief that every young person has the right to volunteer, ‘V’ has worked with various organisations across the UK to create up to a staggering 1 million volunteering opportunities for young people.

V’s campaigns are made with young people’s passions and interests in mind in order to make them as worthwhile as possible, so that when you get involved you can contribute in a way that benefits you as well as others. There are various roles to fulfil in the current food poverty campaign such as promoters, artists and drivers to help the campaign reach its goals and potential.

‘Food Poverty’ is defined as “the inability to obtain healthy and affordable food”. This ‘inability’ is derived from various factors, although one that springs to mind for most people is affordability regarding food. With most food products on the rise in price, many households struggle to buy healthy foods necessary for a substantial diet.

The recent impact of the recession on the global economy saw households on low incomes having to buy cheaper and sometimes poorer quality foods like fast and frozen foods (The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, March 2011). However, other factors aside from affordability come into play regarding food poverty, such as availability.

The closure of many local independent shops due to the rise of new supermarkets and superstores means that households living away from local bus routes and that don’t own a car, cannot easily reach places that supply food. Taxis can be expensive, so the weekly food shop becomes a struggle rather than a straightforward chore of the week.

This is where Team ‘V’ comes in. In order to make food accessible, ‘food hubs’ will be set up around cities in the UK, including York. The team also collects food across the community, by contacting schools, businesses and supermarkets to donate non-perishable foods (like beans, rice, etc) in order to reach the goal of collecting 500 items in every town to give to families who need it.

If you want to get involved in this campaign by volunteering then let us know by emailing ben@oneandother.com, or look under the ‘Team V’ section on their website. There are a range of exciting roles to take on in order to enhance your CV and help combat an issue for a worthy cause.