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Food For London Now: Your chance to buy prints from top artist to boost our appeal

<p>Contemporary painter and sculptor Henry Hudson will sell the prints for £150 each</p> (Handout)

Contemporary painter and sculptor Henry Hudson will sell the prints for £150 each

(Handout)

Readers can buy prints from a top British artist who has produced digital portraits of people living in food poverty who have been helped by our Christmas appeal.

Contemporary painter and sculptor Henry Hudson will sell the prints for £150 each, with all the proceeds going towards our charitable partner With Compassion.

Their volunteers, often furloughed employees, have cooked and delivered thousands of hot meals to homeless shelters every day, using ingredients supplied by our appeal partner, The Felix Project.

Get your Henry Hudson print NOW

You can buy these magnificent pieces here

Children as young as two have been among those who have gathered with families each week to receive food from our state-of-the-art trucks supplied by Food Truck Masters.

Mr Hudson, whose work has been exhibited at Sotheby’s and typically sells for £8,000 to £65,000 depending on the size, said it was an honour to be part of the Food For London Now campaign.

He created the works on his iPad.

He added: “It feels amazing to be involved in this. I must say even before Covid hit the UK I did notice more homelessness in London and I can only assume that has now gone up double since the pandemic.

“I’ve lived in London for about three years now and so feels great to be able to give back in some way and help raise money for an amazing charity that works hard to tackle this issue.”

The limited edition, hand-signed prints will be sold only during this campaign. They are for sale from 7.30am today until 6.30pm on December 18.

More than three million people reported going hungry during the first lockdown and the number of adults who are food insecure in Britain is estimated to have quadrupled due to the pandemic, according to a recent report by the Food Foundation and King’s College London.

Free food has made me feel safe again

Handout
Handout

Sarah, 23, said the free food from our campaign has saved her from feeling anxious in her hostel.

She said there were times she was too scared to make food because the space was occupied by older men who gave her unwanted attention. “There were addicts, ex-prisoners and people with serious problems. It wasn’t safe for me.”

The part-time model is grateful for the food she gets from Muslim Welfare House. “I’m not Muslim but everyone is supportive and they allow people in need to eat.”

Extra help got me through lockdown

Handout
Handout

Ramy Marcelo, 20, struggled to eat when lockdown hit after he had been granted asylum.

He had fled violence in Algeria and found support at Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, he was given hot meals from With Compassion, using food supplied by The Felix Project.

“It’s very hard for me right now, I’m struggling, although playing football helps keep me distracted.

“The first lockdown was hard. Everything was closed — it was very hard to survive. This second one has been better thanks to the help I’m getting.”

‘Children so excited as meals arrive’

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Handout

Mohamed, a father of two, is disabled after his leg was damaged in a motorbike accident He said the pandemic had exacerbated his challenges.

“I lost my delivery job. My wife was made redundant and she’s been looking after me and the children which hasn’t been easy.”

With no income and a family to feed, life became a struggle until they heard about With Compassion teaming up with Muslim Welfare House. They now get extra free meals. Mohamed said his children get “excited” each week as the volunteers make a food delivery.

Let’s Feed London Now!

Together with our sister title The Independent, we will deliver food to 1,000 Londoners a day through our partner With Compassion. To help, please buy a print here, or donate here.

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