In the same week that Lord Young was forced to resign after claiming that most Britons have 'never had it so good', volunteers at the Fulham Food Bank were busy planning their next big collection.
Six months since it began operating, at least 200 people have already been helped by a service set up to help people facing dire circumstances of poverty and hunger.
And for those families whose kitchen cupboards are bare, who have no option but to seek emergency relief from charities or health professionals, the Tory peer's words could not be further from the truth.
The food bank was set up by long-time Fulham resident Daphine Aikens in June, after she witnessed a similar operation in Salisbury and wanted to address what she felt was a growing crisis in her own area.
The project is based in Christ Church, in Studdridge Street, Fulham, but it is independent of the church and serves the whole of the borough.
"As a church we wanted to be more outward looking - we support a lot of projects abroad, but we wanted to have a local impact too," said Mrs Aikens. "You walk around the streets and see people with hopelessness in their eyes. Whatever the reason for it, I just want to try to make a difference.
"I'm a mother of two and I try to make sure my kids eat a balanced diet - and yet I know that there are parents without choices, and I can't bear the thought of anyone going hungry."
The food bank is not a walk-up service, and is carefully targeted to reach those most in need.
At risk families and individuals are identified by health professionals, charity workers and members of social services, and are given vouchers which can be exchanged for a one-off package containing enough food for their household for three days.
For a family with three children, that bundle might include 40 assorted tins of soup, beans, tomatoes, vegetables, meat, fish and fruit, along with dried cereal, pasta, instant mash, tea or coffee, biscuits, sugar, juice and dried milk. Depending on supply levels, there may also room for a few treats – chocolate, noodles, snacks and perhaps a pot of jam.
"Sometimes when people come in they are really anxious," said Mrs Aikens. "They're expecting it to be very official, where they hand the voucher over at a desk, receive the food with a frown and are sent away again.
"Our hope is that every one of our clients feels very welcome and respected, and sometimes people are quite overwhelmed at the welcome. It is just great to know, at the end of the day, that at least one less family is going to be hungry tonight."
In most cases, the food bank is a last resort for people who find their benefits delayed or cut, or who are struggling to survive on low incomes.
Around six families who have been given vouchers find their way each week to Christ Church, where a team of 20 volunteers is on hand to weigh, sort and divide out the donations.
But Mrs Aikens feels there is a much greater local need which has to be addressed, and is hoping to set up a satellite operation in the north of the borough where there tends to be a higher proportion of families living in poverty.
"We've had situations where we've been phoned and told there's a family with however many children and no food in the cupboard, that the kids are going to school without having eaten, and often it's a long-term issue," she said.
"I'm concerned that the need in the borough is going to become greater, and I very much hope that we will be able to help. We've got plenty of food and we've had lots of offers of support and lots of food given to us. I don't see that we're not going to able to meet the need at the moment if the public continues to be so generous.
"We're now looking for another centre in the White City and Shepherd's Bush area - we don't need a whole warehouse, just some shelving where we can store a weekly supply."
Another priority is building better relationships with professionals on the front line of social service and healthcare, enabling the food bank vouchers to be more widely distributed.
"We're really happy with the way it's gone so far but I want to boost the number of voucher holders," said Mrs Aikens.
"They are held by the Citizens' Advice Bureau, the probation service, children's services, some charities and churches, but we really want to widen that.
"At the moment I’m struggling to get social services on board as a whole. I would like every frontline care provider in the borough to have our food bank vouchers."
The Sainsbury's supermarket in Townmead Road has been the site for regular collection days, when shoppers are encouraged to add a few non-perishable items to their baskets to donate to food bank volunteers in the car park. Another event is planned on December 4, in time to bolster supplies in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
"It's especially poignant at Christmas because it's a time when you think everyone should be well-fed and warm," said Mrs Aikens. "But people when it's particularly cold have to make choices between heat and food, so it's especially important at this time of the year that people in crisis have access to emergency food."
Anyone who wants to contribute to the food bank is urged to drop off non-perishable items that are within their use-by date at the Sainsbury's supermarket in Townmead Road on December 4, or at Christ Church in Studdridge Street on Friday afternoons.
