Hannah Sanders, head of partnerships at Action Against Hunger UK, says: “This comes at a time when global hunger levels are on the rise due to conflict, climate change, and increasing food prices.
“The campaign, running throughout September and October, allows diners who ‘love food’ to visit participating restaurants across the UK and ‘give food’ by donating £1 on their bill.
“This money goes to Action Against Hunger’s work supporting people across the world experiencing life-threatening hunger.”
Love Food Give Food has raised over £3 million since its inception in 2011, helping over 17m people worldwide. The organisation is recruiting restaurants on a rolling basis throughout the campaign period.
“Every year we are overwhelmed by how many restaurants take part in Action Against Hunger UK’s Love Food Give Food campaign”, says Hannah.
“In our 11th year of running the campaign, we already have more than 200 restaurants across the UK taking part, including YO!Sushi, Hawksmoor, and Brat; there’s still time for more restaurants to sign up.
“We are excited to see the foodie community come together once again to support our cause and stop life-threatening hunger in its tracks.”
Action Against Hunger has estimated that at least 15m people across East Africa are now facing extreme hunger due to prolonged drought. This is an increase of up to 3m since the beginning of the year. In addition, the conflict in Ukraine, which has affected imports and food prices, means that over 87% of people in the region cannot afford a healthy diet.
Action Against Hunger says that with just £1 its teams can provide a malnourished child with a day’s worth of life-saving therapeutic food.
Will Beckett, co-founder of Hawksmoor, says: “Action Against Hunger UK’s Love Food Give Food campaign is one of the highlights of our year. Part of the reason we’re in business is to be able to make a difference in ways like this, and I hope it’s also part of the reason why staff and customers have grown to love Hawksmoor.”
Victoria Mathers, head of restaurant marketing at YO!Sushi, adds: “We’re proud to support Love Food Give Food for the second year in a row. If you love food, dine out with us this autumn to help give food too.”