CAFOD campaigner lives on leftovers during Lent to raise awareness of food waste

25 year old Claudia Elliot from East London is giving up buying food and hopes to survive on leftovers from her colleagues for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

But if that is not enough, she will try her local pub’s kitchen for waste food, or search in dustbins outside supermarkets and sandwich shops.

Claudia will be living on leftovers from 23 February – 1 March and starts blogging today about her experience. Read her blogs here >

Waste not, want not

Claudia said: “In the UK we throw away so much food. We don’t value it enough or understand what has been sacrificed to get food to our tables. I hope my Lent challenge to live on leftovers for seven days will make people realise just how much food we throw away – enough food to feed other people. With millions hungry in the world that isn’t right.”

There are an estimated 870 million people worldwide without enough food to be healthy and live an active life. The majority of these live in developing countries.

In the UK consumers throw away up to 50 per cent of the food they buy every year. And while a British family will spend around 10 per cent of its income on food, in a developing country that figure rises to 70 per cent.

Hungry for change

Claudia joined CAFOD’s campaigns team last year and helped launch our Hungry for change campaign that calls for fundamental changes in the global food system.

We're asking Prime Minister David Cameron to put food at the top of the global agenda. During this year’s G8 and Hunger Summit we are calling on him to put power back in the hands of the poorest people, and to influence other powerful G8 nations to do the same.

We’re asking you to sign cards to the Prime Minister or send him a message online. The Hungry for change action cards focus on the parable of the loaves and fishes where giving even a small amount can make a difference to thousands of people.

Act now. Call on the Prime Minister to act on global hunger >>

Claudia added: “Since working with CAFOD I have realised how scarce food is for many people in poor countries. Here in the UK I don’t have to be afraid about going hungry, but many people in poor countries live with that fear every day.

“This Lent, for a short time, I might get an idea of how that feels because I will not know for sure where my next meal will come from or how much food I’ll get each day.”

What could you do?

Churches and schools across England and Wales are organising many activities to mark the annual Lent Fast Day on Friday, February 22, 2013. In Derby, Anna and Simon Bourke have taken up the ‘£-a-day’ Challenge. In Sheffield, school children are creating a hunger cloth (a large tapestry made up of panels submitted by individuals or groups).

Groups in many parishes are organising frugal lunches and big card signings. Fred Uttley from Burnley in Lancashire will be getting sponsored to cycle through the dioceses of England and Wales, raising awareness about hunger as he goes.

Find ideas, resources and downloadables on our Parish Lent page >>

We are also joining more than 100 other development agencies and faith groups to campaign on the issue of hunger. The Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign is the biggest coalition of its kind since Make Poverty History in 2005.