Bristol friends raise £5,500 after free school meal upset
Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has backed a group of friends who have raised more than £5,500 for foodbanks.
Chloe and Imogen Wood were shocked to see the lack of food given to families for free school meals packages.
In one week they raised £3,460 online and more than £2,000 offline, filling a dozen trolleys of food that they have delivered to foodbanks in Bristol.
Fearnley-Whittingstall said what they have done was "great", but added the government should be doing more.
Chloe and Imogen, from Southville, along with friends Fiona Riches, Jack Miller, Maia Dixon and Gemma Balding, have already delivered supplies to the North Bristol and East Bristol food banks.
Imogen, 27, a chef who trained and worked with Fearnley-Whittingstall at River Cottage, asked him for his support.
She said: "This opportunity is connecting everyone together, it's classic Bristol that people want to help and I am so proud of our city."
Chloe, 30, said: "We were so upset by the pictures of the food packages we decided to donate £30 each, then we posted on our Instagram accounts to see if anyone else wanted to join us and it just snowballed from there.
"We're so humbled and proud to be able to help, no one should go hungry - our focus is to get people fed."
The friends - some of whom are furloughed from their roles in music, events and hospitality - are now continuing their campaign to reach £10,000.
Fearnley-Whittingstall added: "It's great that people like Imogen and Chloe are motivated to set up brilliant projects like @helpfeedBristol to help local people who are struggling to eat well.
"But of course it shouldn't be like this.
"That's why we have been calling for a full review of the Free School Meals policy, and the provision of food to families who are falling below the poverty line in Britain."
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