Help us support local communities to tackle cost of living crisis

I have spent much of the last few months feeling furious, and I know many readers have too: a rage driven by the fact that in the sixth largest economy in the world, there are so many children going to school hungry, so many families sitting freezing in the cold.

Right now, people in Britain are being forced to skip meals. They are too scared to switch on the heating. They can’t afford to buy baby formula. One school told us about children “pretending to eat out of an empty lunchbox” because they did not qualify for free school meals and didn’t want their friends to know there was no food at home. This is now an emergency facing millions of people, many of whom have never found themselves in this position before.

“I’ve got to buy new shoes for the kids soon. So I think: ‘How many meals do I have to skip to afford that?’” we were told by Victoria, a single mother with two children. Her hunger, with its accompanying aches, pains, dizziness and quiet despair, was the price she paid to feed her family: “I trade my health for my kids’ welfare,” she said.

The emotional cost of deepening poverty is the creeping catastrophe of unaffordable rent; the dread of the bill on the doormat; the shame of being referred to a food bank; the relentless blows to dignity, health, and morale. People living and working on the frontline of poverty say they have never seen things so bad, or the hardship so deep, affecting many people working several jobs, and those with disabilities and health problems.

All of this takes place as extreme wealth is running out of control; the number of billionaires has reached new levels and the richest half of society built up huge levels of savings during the pandemic. Meanwhile poor people face higher inflation than the rich.

The cost of living crisis is the theme of this year’s annual Guardian and Observer charity appeal. We are supporting two fantastic charities, Citizens Advice and Locality. Each demonstrates how the practical response to poverty and inequality can be most powerful at a local level, where 12 years of austerity and the hollowing out of public services has meant the voluntary sector has become, in many places, the very last line of defence against hunger and destitution.

A charity appeal may seem like a drop in the ocean in the face of such hardship. Charity alone can never make up for the damage inflicted by years of government austerity, the hollowing out of public services, widening inequality, or the gaping holes in the UK’s social security safety net. It is no substitute for better, fairer, kinder policies.

However, we see the appeal as a crucial flag of solidarity with those who suffer injustice, a call for a fairer society, and recognition for those who step up to transform individual lives. Your donations will make a real difference.

Locality supports hundreds of grassroots community groups set up to tackle big local issues. This could be unemployment, or the rescuing of much-loved local assets, such as parks and swimming pools. Increasingly, they are having to focus on providing emergency help: food banks, warm rooms, debt advice, mental health support.

Citizens Advice offers free, confidential advice through its 250 independent local branches. It is facing record demand for its services, from distraught young families wondering how they will pay the bills, to isolated older people who are struggling to cope. It currently provides crisis support to two people every minute.

Locality’s share of the money raised will go to support grassroots community groups across the country in the form of small grants. Citizens Advice will use its share of donations to support general services and innovative outreach work in some of the UK’s most deprived neighbourhoods.

Over the next few weeks Guardian and Observer journalism will highlight the inspiring work of our 2022 charity partners. On Saturday 17 December some of our best-known journalists will take your calls and donations at our popular charity appeal telethon – give us a call! Guardian and Observer readers have collectively contributed more than £10m to good causes via our annual appeal since 2015.

We recognise, of course, these are hard times for many of you – we hope we can still persuade you to give to the appeal.

Donations can be made online by credit card, debit card or PayPal, or by phone on 0151 284 1126. Sadly, we are unable to accept cheques.