A new tourism initiative aimed at tackling food poverty in Belfast was launched by Visit Belfast.
The sustainable tourism-focused “Changing the Menu. For Good” project will enlist venues, caterers and event organisers to directly raise funds for local food banks, including The People’s Kitchen.
A variety of ways to donate are in place to allow event organisers to choose a method that suits their event, with four headline options; donating the financial equivalent of a fourth course, donating a proportion of catering costs incurred during an event, rounding up delegate or catering fees or donating directly.
The scheme, which will run as a pilot into next year, is designed to drive more responsible and sustainable events, to promote social impact and legacy within our local communities, in addition to the economic benefit tourism already generates.
Like elsewhere in the UK and Ireland, demand for food banks is growing in Belfast, in the last 5 years, the need for food banks has increased by 128%* and organisations including the Trussell Trust, which manages 14 food banks across the city, and the independently-run The People’s Kitchen which tackle food poverty and homelessness, need more support than ever before.
The ‘Changing the Menu. For Good’ initiative is already supported by a group of founding partners in the event industry; Hastings Hotels, Titanic Belfast, Hospitality Belfast/Yellow Door, Food NI, Conference Partners International, Crowne Plaza Belfast, Event-ful and Queen’s University Belfast.