How to help Aisling Bea rally people power against hunger

There are people starving in the UK today. And yes, says comedian and actor Aisling Bea, we should be able to rely on our government to fix that. But since they aren’t stepping up, let’s help the people in our communities who are.

“Queues of people are in dire need of food for their kids, or themselves, or their families,” she says. “There’s a charity called FoodCycle and they posted a voicemail on their Instagram yesterday from this woman saying ‘I haven’t eaten for three days. I’m starving and I just don’t know what to do. Can you help me?’ That’s in modern Britain.

“It’s just so demoralising that has been left to the people… but if it is up to people, then let’s just do it.”

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

“Let’s just do it” is the driving mantra behind Bea’s Christmas food drive – an exceptionally starry bit of grassroots action. Over the last couple of weeks she’s been ringing round her famous friends, rallying the troops to act as ‘Reverse Santas’. They’ll all be rocking up to The Bill Murray comedy club in London, inviting locals and comedy fans from all over to bring in donations for Hackney Food Bank Warehouse.  

From 2-7pm on Wednesday, December 21, the writer and star of This Way Up will be posing for festive selfies and joining in games at the altruistic party. She’ll be joined by a host of award-winning comedians, TV presenters and actors from the likes of Derry Girls, The Lost Daughter, Game of Thrones, Fleabag, This Is Going To Hurt, Big Boys, Doctor Who, Taskmaster, QI and Strictly.

“We’re giving people a chance to turn up and connect with the community. There’ll be an opportunity to meet and greet celebs, as well as bringing a donation,” adds Bea. “Hopefully we can also bring awareness to the number of people in need, which is just, frankly disgusting.”

That evening, the food drive will be followed by a live comedy show featuring Aisling Bea and friends, also in aid of Hackney Food Bank. The line-up will include Joel Dommett, Ed Gamble, Tatty Macleod, Sikisa, Bostwick Barnes and more.

• How you can find and donate to a food bank near you
• Huge energy bill hike leaves one of Britain’s biggest food banks facing closure by Christmas
• Food poverty in the UK: The causes, figures and solutions
• See what it’s really like inside a food bank with our series Diary of a food bank manager

Aisling Bea first got involved with Hackney Food Bank back in 2020 when she “stumbled across” her local hub on a state-sanctioned covid walk. She was blown away by the “amazing” volunteers she met there – and their practical, hands-on dedication to ensuring people wouldn’t go hungry.

Part of the point of the food drive is just to make sure those volunteers feel seen and valued. While some people wait for a saviour or hope for a change of those in power, they were just getting on with the business at hand.

“I think there’s a sort of element, unfortunately, of waiting for the cavalry to come,” she says. “Waiting for this politician who’s going to bring everyone together, waiting for this government to change, waiting for these big media companies and Elon Musk to find a moral conscience and pay their workers properly. If that was going to happen, that would have happened from the start. The cavalry’s not coming.”

As the post-pandemic cost-of-living crisis bites, things have got worse for many. Meanwhile, as people have come off furlough and had to go back to work, the number of volunteers at the food bank has dwindled. It’s more important than ever for people who can spare a little to do so.

“The biggest thing is for people who are donating to look at the website and see what they need,” Bea appeals. “There’s a hygiene bank as well, because it’s the kind of hidden version of poverty. Buy cleaning products and deodorant, stuff like that as well. Big things they tend to need are sanitary products and men’s hygiene products.”

For more details on the food drive, and to buy tickets for the live comedy show with Aisling Bea and friends, check Angel Comedy’s website.

Check the current most-needed items at Hackney Food here.