We’re doing something a bit different at Labour Conference this year. We’re running a food bank collection point at our stall.

We wish we didn’t have it. Everyone should have to access healthy food, but at least 8.4 million people are food insecure in the UK – meaning they regularly struggle to put food on the table at home – and well over 500,000 people relied on support from food banks last year.

MPs and councillors are of course aware of how difficult things are for the communities they represent, with constituents on the breadline regularly attending their surgeries in need of advice and signposting. That’s one reason that Labour will be debating food policy as part of its wider environmental policy at Conference next week.

But it also highlights our commitment to our food justice campaign and reminds delegates and attendees of why Labour needs to adopt a right to food as part of its policy platform next week, and why there’s an urgent need for it to be a flagship policy for a Labour Government.

So, if you are attending Conference, come along to stall 50 to show your solidarity with our food justice campaign and if you are able to, make a donation. Even something simple like a box of tea or a packet of biscuits can make all the difference.

Items we’re collecting include:

• dried food
• tinned food
• toddler food
• biscuits
• toiletries
• nappies
• tea
• coffee
• sugar

We hope you can drop by and help support our campaign – a campaign we wish we didn’t have to run.