‘Food bank Generation Game’ aims to raise awareness and funds across Sunderland

The fun interactive event draws on the popularity of game shows like The Generation Game, Supermarket Sweep and Play Your Cards Right.

It features practical games and tasks, but aims to highlight the stories of those using food banks and the growing need for them.

The events spotlight increasing food bank dependency, but through themes such as community, friendship, support and pride.

Organisers have worked hard to bring real stories to life and “move away from lazy stereotypes that are often perpetuated in the media and reinforce the sense of community which is at the heart of the work going on in our communities.”

A portion of ticket sales will be split between Sunderland Soup Kitchen and The Forage Community Project.

Created by Theatre Space North East (TSNE) and commissioned by arts project The Cultural Spring as part of its Bitesize programme, the show is produced with help from Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen.

Corinne Kilvington, TSNE artistic director, explained: “The Food Bank Generation Game fuses the unlikely components of hunger poverty and classic television game shows to explore the issue of food bank use; to look at the increasing pressures on Sunderland residents who have no option but to use the services.

“We’ve worked with Andrea Bell and her team at the food bank to understand their work, and the needs of users and we’ve volunteered in order to meet and talk to the wide variety of people who the food bank helps.

“We learned about the amazing work the food bank does, but also about the gaps between services, which cause real problems for people.

“As a legacy, we’re thinking about is how do we get all the organisations involved around a table to discuss how services can be more joined up.”

Shows are at: 17nineteen, Wednesday, April 12, 6pm, Thompson Park CA, Thursday, April 13, 6pm; St Paul’s Church in Ryhope, Friday, April 14; ELCAP in Easington Lane, Saturday, April 15, 5pm and The Forage Community Project, Westerhope Road, Barmston, Sunday, April 16, 5pm.

For tickets and more information visit www.theculturalspring.org/bitesize. Tickets are £5, including soup and pasta. It will be nice to see you, to see you…