Today I had the huge privilege of visiting Pelican Parcels which is based in Hove. Shelly founded this amazing charity to support parents in these difficult economic times who struggle to get all of the food, clothing and kit required to raise kids.
Her warehouse is immaculate and so well organised with her team of volunteers running a tight ship! The charity works primarily with donations and is currently in desperate need of stair gates, double buggies and high chairs so please get in touch with them if you are able to donate.
Pelican parcels are linked with our local services so are able to get to those families who are really in need and benefit most from our community’s generosity. Right now they’re in full preparation for Christmas, making sure hundreds of kids across our city will have a gift to open on Christmas Day.
Of course visiting somewhere as wonderful, generous and selfless as Pelican Parcels provokes mixed emotions. To be somewhere where the values of our community so perfectly come to life is just wonderful and makes me so proud.
But it also reminds us how broken things are right now. Food bank use is rising again. I’ve just spoken to a manager at one of our emergency services who have an in-house food bank for those lower-paid staff whose circumstances during the current crisis mean they can’t get by on their wages alone once housing and transport are taken from their income. Organisations like Pelican Parcels reveal the depth of struggle faced by many families right now.
Remember: most people living in poverty in the UK are already at work. After 12 years of Tory government, our public services, national finances, and household circumstances simply lack the resilience needed to survive another battering. Austerity, mismanagement, botched reforms, and the reckless ‘mini-budget’ meant the UK was hit much harder by the energy crisis and covid than similar to ours.
It’s why Labour’s plan to get the basics of running an economy back on track is so important. Fiscal discipline, investment in the transition to net zero that insulates homes, doubles renewables and creates jobs and invests in skills. And that’s just the start!
For now, thank you to Pelican Parcels and everyone who makes amazing organisations like this one work so effectively to provide all people in our community with the dignity they deserve whilst enduring challenges in life. I, for one, am eternally grateful.
Yours, Peter
