What are you giving up for Lent? Birmingham City Mission have some ideas.

What do you usually spend on food in a week?  Could you live on less?  Maybe you could cut your budget by 25%, 50% or even 75%. This Lent Birmingham City Mission  is challenging people to spend the least possible money on food for a week and pass on their savings to families living in poverty.

THE FACTS:

The number of people in the UK going hungry is growing

1 in 5 (over 13 million people) in the UK live below the official poverty line

Last year 1 in 6 parents went without food to feed their families

Over 500,000 people in the UK are reliant on food parcels*

THE CHALLENGE:

Take a weekend, a week or the whole of Lent. What is your usual food budget for that time? Can you live on less? Have fun being frugal.  Be creative with less in the kitchen. Cut out chocolate, fizzy drinks, crisps – whatever your little luxury might be.  Involve the kids – get out the calculators and let them budget.

BCM has produced a Cheap Snack & Meal Ideas booklet to help you on your way – download from www.birminghamcitymission.co.uk or call 0121 766 6603 for a copy.

Then pass on your savings to BCM to give to families and individuals in need who visit the Resource Centre food bank.

For more information or to register for The Lent Challenge, call Birmingham City Mission on 0121 766 6603 or visit www.birminghamcitymission.co.uk

If you decide to take The Lent Challenge, please eat a sufficient, sensible and balanced diet.  If you have any health concerns, please consult a doctor before starting the challenge.

*Statistics taken from www.oxfam.org.uk