Young Solihull dancers are helping Coventry Foodbank with the launch of its latest festive fundraising campaign to help tackle the rising food crisis.
The Foodbank is appealing for support to help meet increasing demand through a new fun five-part video, filmed in collaboration with two local dance groups.
The light-hearted social media campaign with a serious message, aims to raise awareness as well as thousands of pounds for the Foodbank, which has 14 centres throughout the city.
Youngsters from Pointe The Way Ballet School in Solihull and Leamington and Warwick Academy of Dance, used the medium of dance to narrate the story of The Night Before Christmas – but with a difference.
It is hoped the video, which airs in its entirety for the first time today (Wednesday), will even surpass the success of last year’s, The Dance of the Foodbank Fairies, which raised £22k. This time the Fairies are trying to fend off Hunger in the guise of ninjas who are trying to steal the food!
Some 24 dancers aged between six and 15, took part in the day of filming, at Coventry Foodbank’s Halo Centre warehouse in Binley last month.
It’s a cause particularly close to the heart of the dance schools’ Principal Viv Kibble, also the wife of one Coventry Foodbank’s founders Canon Gavin Kibble MBE.
She said: “We did some filming for the first time last year and the children loved every minute. The amount we raised was incredible. This year the youngsters are the fairies of the warehouse who make all the magic happen and the teenagers are the growing hunger, ninja characters.
“As you will see in the finished film, the hunger in the city has continued to grow as cost of living has risen steeply this year so the challenge for this year’s campaign is to find regular givers who would give monthly as well as one-off donations. The target is to top £30K.
“Food poverty is very real in Coventry and everything we do helps to alleviate the pressure for those who need it the most.”
Told across five chapters, the campaign culminates with the chance to watch a run through of the whole story, today (December 11th.) To donate or watch, visit: https://coventryfoodbank.org.uk/life/ or by finding Coventry Foodbank on Facebook @coventryfoodbank and Instagram @coventry_foodbank.
Rich Smith, Head of Communications at Coventry Foodbank, said: “The rationale behind this is to tell the story in short segments to keep people’s attention on social media and it builds momentum over time.”
“There are more and more people living in Coventry who are facing a food crisis and every week Coventry Foodbank engages with people who are struggling to put food on the table and are completely relying on food and financial donations. It provides a lifeline to thousands of people across the city.”