The Lancaster District Food Justice Partnership has launched a new online collection called the Library of Stories to record how the high cost of living is affecting people across Lancaster, Lancashire. This project invites residents to share their own experiences with food costs to help local groups understand where help is needed most. The goal is to provide real-life evidence that can guide how emergency aid and support services are run in the community.
Residents can share their stories through an online portal or by visiting story booths at community food clubs like Eggcup. These accounts will highlight the difficult choices people are forced to make, such as skipping meals so they can afford to pay for heating or electricity. By focusing on these personal experiences, the project aims to show the true human impact of rising prices beyond just using numbers and statistics.
The initiative is coordinated by FoodFutures and will help Lancaster City Council and local charities decide on funding priorities for the 2026/27 year. This launch follows a difficult period in 2025 when local food providers saw a large drop in donations at the same time that more residents were asking for help.
Organisers hope that documenting these accounts will help the district move away from just providing emergency food parcels and toward creating more permanent ways for everyone to afford healthy meals. The information collected will be used to make sure that food aid and local support reach those who are in the most urgent need across the district.
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