A democratic, non-profit, and member-led organisation for low/no to moderate income people – fighting for our members utilising direct action! Tel: 07393 101018
Sometimes change doesn't start with a big plan. It starts with people at a members' meeting deciding they can't ignore child poverty anymore.
2 in 5 Newcastle kids live in poverty. The two-child cap denied families support. So 300 Food & Solidarity members organized:
ALT Campaign graphic for Food & Solidarity with a teal and red halftone-filtered photograph showing a crowd of community members at a direct action event. The background image shows people gathered together, symbolizing collective organizing. Large white bold text at top reads "How Food & Solidarity turned an idea into real action." Below are four white text statistics detailing the campaign's scope and impact: "40% Newcastle children live in poverty," "300 members mobilized," "Months of direct action," and "One major win: Elected officials back the abolition... Two-child cap abolished." In the top right corner is the Food & Solidarity logo in red on a semi-transparent background with tagline "towards an organised workplace, community, and household." At the bottom, call-to-action text reads "Read the full story → Join the fight foodandsolidarity.org"
Poverty is deepening.
🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning.
People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people.
This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.
Photo petitions
direct action
Council motions (passed by 1 vote)
Media pressure
Autumn 2025: Two-child benefit cap ABOLISHED.
This is what happens when communities refuse to look away.
Read the full story: foodandsolidarity.org/news/n…
ALT Campaign graphic for Food & Solidarity featuring a teal and red halftone-filtered photograph of community members gathered at an organizing event in the background. The image conveys collective action and grassroots organizing. Large white bold text reads "Sometimes change doesn't start with a big plan... It starts with people talking about what they see every day." Below in smaller white text: "From a members' meeting to abolishing the two-child benefit cap." The Food & Solidarity logo in red appears in the top right corner on a semi-transparent background, with the organization's tagline "towards an organised workplace, community, and household." The graphic illustrates how ordinary conversations and community organizing led to significant policy change on child poverty in the UK.
One of our Directors, Mwenza Blell, is speaking on UK poverty at the JRF webinar Thu 29 Jan, 10:30am.
This campaign is why it matters.
Join Food & Solidarity: foodandsolidarity.org/join#DirectAction#UKPoverty2026
UK Poverty isn’t accidental. It’s political.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s UK Poverty 2026 report lays bare what millions already know:
Poverty is being baked into everyday life.
-> Thursday 29 January
-> 10:30am–12pm
-> Mwenza Blell, Director & Co-Founder @FoodandSol
ALT Promotional graphic for a Joseph Rowntree Foundation webinar titled “UK Poverty 2026: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK.” The image shows event details including the date Thursday 29 January 2026, time 10:30am–12pm, and confirmed speaker Mwenzwa Blell, Director and Co-Founder of Food & Solidarity. The design features a portrait of Mwenzwa Blell and a photograph of Food & Solidarity members holding a banner, with bold red and teal colours.
📅 Happening soon!
Next Thursday, we'll be hosting a webinar discussing the findings of our upcoming UK Poverty report.
Analysts and practitioners will set out the challenges of poverty in the UK - and how we can reduce it.
Not to be missed! Sign up: bit.ly/3Yx2QAn
ALT Promotional image for a UK Poverty Understanding webinar, featuring an adult pushing a stroller accompanied by a child, set against a graphic of urban and rural landscapes. Event details include the date as Thursday 29th January 2026, from 10:30 am to 12 pm.
This webinar is about understanding poverty as it actually exists in the UK today and what that means for organising, solidarity, and action. - Read the blog - Sign up to the webinar - Join Food & Solidarity foodandsolidarity.org/news/j…#SolidarityNotCharity#UKPoverty2026
We won. The 2-child benefit cap is abolished. 💥
70% of our members signed our photo petition.
We delivered it to @KiMcGuinness & @NewcastleCC Council.
We were escorted out of the cabinet meeting in the civic centre by police for trying to speak.
In June, with help from @FoodandSol, we passed a motion at @NewcastleCC to end the poverty-making two child benefit cap.
Today the government finally listened.
Let this be the start of a reversal of toxic politics in this country, led by @TheGreenParty.
#Budget
After @NCLGreenParty met with @FoodandSol to draft a motion opposing the cruel two-child benefit cap and NRPF*, I proposed it to @NewcastleCC today, seconded by Newcastle Independent @TraceyAnnMitch2.
It passed. Unamended.
A cross-party stand against the government on poverty.
The @BigIssue interviewed us to find out what is has been like to be a grassroots organisation since the 2024 Budget. Read the article & the full transcript of what we said! foodandsolidarity.org/news/t…
From a WhatsApp mutual aid group to taking on council neglect and threats from Mears, Basem’s story shows what Food & Solidarity is about. When we act together, things get fixed.
vm.tiktok.com/ZNdwLyULb/
Me and Cllr Mike Cookson door knocking in Breamish House tonight following the Chronicle article about damp and mould in the building. Residents told us that the problem was limited and has largely been dealt with.