How does the BRITE Box Project reflect our philosophy on Social Justice

Background/Context

The South London Mission was established in the late 19th Century and like other Methodist mission in some of the most impoverished areas of country. In the last year we have reviewed our ways of working and developed three values that alight with our vision and mission. These are our 3Rs.

Respite, Regeneration and Revolution. 

Respite is where a project meets the immediate need, for example providing a food parcel to help with hunger.

Regeneration is the long term engagement and relationship building with and in the community to provide space and resources for people to gain confidence to pursue their personal, familial and community social development.

Revolution is the stage when individuals, families and communities are equipped for transformation. Where we use lived experience to inform decision makers and influence the direction of local and national policy.

Our intention is that every mission project will contain elements of the 3Rs. The BRITE Box project is a new initiative that we believe does.

What

BRITE Box stands for Building Resilience In Today’s Environment and was an initiative created by the charity Voice of Hope based in the London Borough of Richmond at the start of the pandemic in 2020 to address the issue of food insecurity. BRITE Box is a meal kit designed for children and their families. It provides a recipe and all the ingredients you will need to prepare a delicious meal for five people and can be recreated for less than £5.00.

Why

It's hard to believe that in the 21st century and in a country like Great Britain that we still have a significant number of the population that suffer from food insecurity.

The majority of schools in Southwark have over the national average number of students on pupil premium or entitled to free school meals. There are also a high number of families with no recourse to public funds and many more families who are just over the threshold to qualify for support and yet still need support due to the high cost of living.  Southwark as a borough also has high level of childhood obesity, which is caused by the poor diet as families are unable to afford the more expensive nutritious/healthy foods.

By providing the meal kits BRITE Box sees to bring families together around food sparking joy and interest in cooking and eating well. Teach children new and improved cooking skills as well as the confidence to use them.

How

We work with a local grocer based at the world-famous Borough Market for all our fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as with Bells Butchers, a local family run business based in the heart of Bermondsey for our meat and poultry. The project is financially supported by an international record company who have offices next to the South London Mission.

This recognises that as a church we can’t bring about change on our own and reminds us how important it is to work with local partners from different sectors to provide solutions to societal challenges. We all have our different strengths and gifts. By working together we can make a real impact.

For us at the mission, BRITE Box embodies some of our core values and thinking around justice. Cooking is a unique activity that often employs all of our senses. Good food often, smells good, feels good, tastes good, looks good.  And this is a lot like justice. When we look at our society, our community, our church even, what are our senses telling us?

Does it look like a just society, does it sound like one, does it smell, feel like one?

A Just Society like a good meal, is immediately recognisable. It warms the belly and nourishes the soul. It requires patience and consideration of all the different ingredients.

A church at the margins considers those disenfranchised by and unjust system and walks alongside them. But that’s not where it stops. A church at the margin is bit like pressing Ctrl and E on your keyboard whist using Microsoft Word. It’s a shortcut brings the curser to the middle of the screen. A successful church at the margins will bring marginalised groups and their experience to the fore and like our 3Rs lead to transformation .