Church celebrates harvest in Hastings with a curry, and a collection for the Foodbank

Written by Rebecca Barnes.

HTH church in the town centre of Hastings celebrated harvest a bit differently this year, with a collection for Foodbank, before enjoying a curry with 150 people, cooked by members of the church.

The Sunday service was filled with songs, children’s entertainment and many harvest gifts. Tables were piled high with tins, cereals, fruit, vegetables, coffee, biscuits and more, as people happily joined in with their church’s vision of being a hub of practical love within the local area.

A particular highlight of the service came when children were encouraged to come up to the stage and choose a donation from the table which they themselves would like to have. Up they came, with fish, pickles, fruit and cereal - each excited to discuss their choices and tell which food they liked.

Afterwards, Simon Larkin, one of the leaders of HTH church admitted how much he’d enjoyed the service, sharing “it's so brilliant to be part of this vibrant, fun and faith filled community right in the heart of Hastings, which is attracting so many people each week from non-religious backgrounds. On Sunday this year we were able to celebrate harvest with lots of music, entertainment, worship and food - as well as reflecting God's generosity by collecting for the fantastic Hastings Foodbank”.

Worryingly, since January this year Foodbank have already fed 3413 adults and 2260 children. They note an increasing number of pensioners, as well as people in work, accessing the foodbank. A sure sign that the cost of living continues to bite.

Cheryl Carey at Foodbank, was grateful for the gifts, stating the organisation “don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry. That’s why we provide seven days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis. If you are in crisis you can access Hastings Foodbank by asking for a voucher. You can speak to any agency working with you or call Citizens Advice and ask if you are eligible for a voucher.”

For those interested in donating, Foodbank expressed their extreme gratitude for all donations, both food and financial.

Items they are currently in particular need of include:

• cereal

• rice pudding

• custard

• coffee

• toilet roll.

If you would like more information about how to donate, how to help or how to get help, visit theirwebsite at hastings.foodbank.org.uk .

About Holy Trinity Hastings:

A local church in the town centre of Hastings, next to the library, serving the local East Sussex community. It is popular as a church for the non-religious and serves the community by running Safehaven men, Safehaven women, youth work, children’s groups, tots programme as well as a Ukrainian Sanctuary. Each Sunday it runs a service for families at 10.00am with songs, games, stories and competitions as well as an informal service with music and life impacting talk at 11.15am. The HTH café is open each Sunday with warm pasties and hot drinks from 10.45am – 11.15am.