Local radio station’s plea for more tinned food donations to help the South East’s most vulnerable

Supermarkets and libraries across Sussex and Hampshire have had their trolleys and crates filled with donations of canned food, all headed to those who need it most via local food banks and charities.

But the radio station, along with UKHarvest and Southern Water, still need your help to support our community’s most vulnerable before the campaign ends on the 11th of August.

Statistics from the Trussell Trust reveal that 349,000 three-day emergency food parcels were handed out across the South East in the last year. 100,000 of those were needed in Sussex alone.

With each tonne of tins equating to around 2500 tins, alongside V2 Radio’s determination to beat last year’s collection of 4.8 tonnes, there’s still a long way to go to meet the overwhelming needs of local people and the beneficiaries that support them.

UK Harvest’s Sarah Morison described how they have seen numbers “really increase” this year, “particularly after Christmas”:“There’s been a double whammy of post-Christmas, the fuel hike, and food prices that have gone through the roof.”“Often families struggle more during the summer holidays so it’s a really key time to just make sure that the bit of extra food goes a long way, and it will help us ahead of the rush into winter.”A helpful map on the V2 Radio website guides you to your nearest donation point. But if none of those are suitable, there are still other ways you can get involved.

The radio station’s Chichester studios are accepting deliveries of tins from local supermarkets.

They’ve also opened a Just Giving page, which you can donate to and have someone else buy the tins on your behalf.

The studio is also opening its doors to anyone who brings a tin on the 11th of August for tours and to meet presenters.

With just over two weeks left to donate, your generosity is more important than ever.