All language subtitles for T C S01E01 1080p WEB h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

We have parents starving
to feed their children.

Enough is enough!

Salmon farming is a fucking
environmental catastrophe.

If we don't stand together,

we cannot have
this country we want.

[chanting]

NARRATOR: In today's world,

everybody wants
their voice to be heard.

Do not think this
will not affect you.

NARRATOR: But when the people
in power don't listen...

The laws that are being put out
now is purely out of hatred.

NARRATOR: ...you need to come
together to make real change.

But don't walk past here
with your noses up.

NARRATOR:
In this global series,

we will follow a team
of international activists.

We have to speak out.
You have to use your voice,

you have to be courageous,
and you have to be brave.

Nobody should be
abandoned to die.

[speaking Spanish]

We can save many lives
if we act.

Not through hatred,
violence, or division.

NARRATOR: These activists
will inspire and
revolutionize

the work of local
campaigners...

Now we face
a threat of extinction

of everything we know and love.

NARRATOR: ...who are
struggling to make a
difference

in their own communities...

It is Black people
who are being murdered

by a system that doesn't
care enough about them.

Y'all ready? Y'all ready?

NARRATOR: ...as they work
together to see

if they can shine a light
on injustice

and transform
their lives for good.

This work is, like,
super important.

It's really life or death.

So... good luck.

Stand up, fight back!

NARRATOR: In this film,
we will explore

the global
cost of living crisis,

as prices for energy,
rent, and food

are soaring around the world.

[speaking French]

Even before food prices
recently rocketed,

one in ten people
around the world

were living in food poverty.

We're here to do what's right
by working families,

and that's make sure
that every New Yorker

is able to keep
a roof over their heads,

put food on the table,
and save for a rainy day.

NARRATOR: And Britain, the
world's sixth-largest
economy,

is no exception,

with 7.3 million people
going hungry.

It was 2022,

and we were having people
come to a food bank

who maybe haven't eaten in
days.

People are going to
face real poverty,

and lives will be
lost this winter.

SEAN: We live in one of
the wealthiest economies

in the world, and so
when people go hungry,

it is a decision
to let that happen,

and we can make
better decisions.

♪♪

MICHELLE: Good morning,
good morning, good morning.

Kisses! Mwah, mwah, mwah.

Okay, so. I am on my way to...

the hub! De Beauvoir!

NARRATOR: Michelle Dornelly
is a pillar of her local
community.

Because I have been born
and bred in Hackney...

- [car horn honking]
- Hey!

...everyone kind of, like,
recognizes me for my laugh.

[laughing]

If I laugh, then someone's
like, "Oh, yeah, Mich!"

That's Chris and Glennis.
Let me park up.

NARRATOR:
At the beginning of 2020,

she set up a center giving
out free food to the hungry.

- MAN: Hey!
- Oh, my God!

[laughing]

NARRATOR: Along with the help
of other unpaid volunteers...

[exclaims] Oh.
I'm still filming!

...they help locals
who can't afford to eat.

Oh, my. They--
Yeah, they saw you.

- Hello!
- [Michelle laughs]

MICHELLE: You got any salad
or anything like that?

Uh, I think, yeah...

The first thing
on my mind for my day

is just feeding people.

Daisy. She's got the salad.

I've got her tea bag,
she's got her juice.

It's everything. It's my core,
it's my heart, it's my body.

Now-- [sighs] Now some friends.

Daisy... so who does
that belong to, then?

Monica. Got Miles,
Daisy, and Monica.

Daisy and Monica.
Daisy and Monica.

I've worked volunteering
all over Hackney.

So I've been working
since I was 16.

And then I'm just gonna
give you some ready-made meat.

And on my days off from school
I would work voluntarily.

So I've always been
the nurturing type, I suppose.

Daisy. Here you go, my darling.

NARRATOR: Food that
would otherwise be binned

because of its shelf life
is donated

by supermarkets,
farms, and restaurants.

MICHELLE: A typical day
is just a busy day

where people just come in,
and we pack their bags...

and, uh, we just make sure
that they've got their food.

That's what a typical day is,
we just do our work

and just keep on going.

Keep on going.

Hello, my darling.
So, we've got ready-made meals.

Is that what you prefer?
Yeah, okay. Let's do that.

People are deciding
whether to put the heating on

or whether to eat.

Do you eat meat?

Just vegetarian,
isn't it, sweetie? Yeah.

We relate to the people
in the community

'cause we go
for the same things.

We're not somebody
who lives in some big house,

traveling down to Hackney
and putting on an apron

and, you know, saying,
"Okay, I'm gonna feed you now."

We actually are the people
that we're feeding.

So we've got
two vegetarian meals.

Is that all right? Yeah.

Our worst-case scenario is

knocking on your neighbor's
door, there's no answer,

and then when the door
gets kicked in it,

they're dead, you know?

They're sitting there
in this chair, dead,

whether the house is freezing
cold or they've not eaten.

NARRATOR: Michelle
now runs four food hubs,

which have fed
over 150,000 people.

Take that, thank you.
You'll bring it back.

I take on the job
that the council

and the government
are failing to do.

NARRATOR: But now the charity
has grown so much,

she's struggling to run
such a huge operation

with just a few volunteers.

MICHELLE: I want us
to be respected

by the government
and by our local council.

I want them to acknowledge
what we're doing,

and I want them to support
what we're doing.

Today we served 450 meals,
okay?

50 clients, 450 meals.

Thank you. Bye.

♪♪

SEAN: We have no choice
but to save the world.

We live here.
What else are we going to do?

NARRATOR: Sean Binder is
a 29-year-old activist and

trainee lawyer, and he's
agreed to use his frontline
experience

to give Michelle's food hub
a much-needed boost.

Activism is about keeping on
in the good fight,

even when the odds
are against you.

Well, we're now joined by
a man who is facing charges

for people smuggling.

He's already spent over 100
days in prison in Greece,

and although he was released
on bail a year ago,

the investigation
by the authorities continued.

NARRATOR: In 2017, Sean went
to the Greek island of Lesbos

to rescue migrants
from the Mediterranean

and bring them ashore.

I still face
20 years imprisonment

for trying to help people
at risk of drowning.

What we're spending
thousands of Euros doing

is going through these courts
for no reason other than that

we're trying to criminalize
search and rescue.

NARRATOR: He's currently
on bail and waiting

for the case to return
to the Greek courts.

My arrest was the strongest
suppression of my voice

that I have ever experienced,

and I felt like
I couldn't do anything.

But to give up
is the only way you guarantee

that no positive change
will occur.

♪♪

NARRATOR: Sean's agreed
to spend two weeks

working with Michelle,
and today is his first day.

SEAN: Well,
this will be the first time

that I'm at a food hub.

What I need to do is first
understand her operation

and then identify areas
where I can help out.

Then I'll report back
to the other changemakers,

talk through what I've seen,

and see what ideas
they might have.

I guess the most important
thing about today is meeting
Michelle,

and she seems to be
a powerhouse.

I'm a little bit nervous
about meeting her.

MICHELLE: I've been told
my expectations of others

is quite high.
I don't care,

'cause my expectation
of myself is high.

I'm getting a little bit
worried, I guess.

What am I gonna do?
What if I can't help out?

I think it should be fine.
I'm hoping it's fine.

If I've got something to say,
I will say it

regardless of what
the consequences are.

I can't be sitting there

just having things
just said over me.

We've got to fight,
so I am a fighter.

Let's just try and make sure we
don't use what we need to use.

SEAN: I think there's a risk
that people will be hesitant

to open up to me
because people might think

that I am probably
quite a privileged outsider.

- I'll take one of these.
- Yes.

I grew up working class, and
there was a time when my mother

had ten euro a week
to feed the both of us.

MICHELLE: I just needed--
That's my call box...

- SEAN: Hello there.
- ...that's gonna be good.

- Oh, hello. Good morning.
- SEAN: Michelle, is it?

Yes, it is. Welcome to the hub.

SEAN: You seem super busy.
Can I help in some way?

MICHELLE: Yes, yes, yes.
Um, right. Sig?

PRODUCER: You think
it's gonna be, like,

a roller coaster for him?

I think he's gonna
have to keep up.

I think he's gonna
have to keep up with us.

♪♪

- SEAN: Okay.
- MICHELLE: Sorry, my darling.

So I've been trying
to do everybody.

Two adults and two children
or one child?

Thank you, my darling.

Are the chips going out, guys?

We've got a lovely--
Daisy-- Daisy's got her bags.

Um, Tash, which one's Daisy?
This one?

SEAN: Yeah,
Michelle is pretty busy.

Yes, they are.

Don't think we've made
eye contact yet.

But that's good,
because the food

is more important
at this moment.

MICHELLE: Anybody else
want a pumpkin?

I had thought that on the first
day it'd be a slower start.

Meeting Michelle and then
she would talk me through it,

but she is really stretched.

What we cooking?
What we cooking?

What we cooking?
What we cooking?

Wednesday,
what we cooking on Wednesday?

There's a lot of
things happening.

- Pumpkin soup.
- SEAN: I'll take a pumpkin.

- Pumpkin's in.
- She is, like, dipped into

all of them, and while
she's delegated a little bit,

perhaps there's just
too few volunteers.

- She must be doing this 24/7.
- She lives and breathes it.

This is her life.
As you can see,

- she hasn't really stopped.
- Not once.

MICHELLE: This is one of
our volunteers, everybody,

Henrietta. She's amazing,
and she's on her bike.

We had an amazing amount
of volunteers during COVID,

but then when people
then had to find a job,

the volunteers did drop
dramatically, which meant that

my workload was quadrupled
because I had to pick up

the slack of the volunteers
that had been gone.

Yeah, I'm gonna.
Yeah, I'm gonna.

I'm just trying to find space,
my darling.

I drive and deliver.
I answer phones. I'm admin.

There's a mixture of stuff
going on there, so what you--

I can't stop.

Oh, there's plenty over there.

I couldn't take a day off
because if I stop,

then everything seizes.

Did we give them mango?

I can't remember
if we gave away mangoes.

Michelle,
I know you are super busy.

We've been with you
for a few hours now,

and you have-- I think
your coffee has gone cold,

you haven't even had a sip yet,
you have been so busy.

MICHELLE: We're really
struggling with volunteers

to meet the demand
that is gonna be increasing.

I did kind of, like, predict

that we will see
the energy crisis

and the cost of living
affecting people.

After Christmas,
we're gonna be in dire

because we're gonna be
picking up the pieces of people

that have got even more sicker,
that have committed suicide,

'cause like I said,
the cost of living is just--

There's nothing you can do.

It's madness, considering
that Britain has money.

So I don't understand
how we've got these politicians

sitting in their
big, fancy houses,

sipping their Earl Gray tea

and not worrying about
what's on the ground.

And then we've got our
volunteers picking up the
pieces

because we're extra empathetic.

Yes, I'm angry.
I'm fuming, hopping angry.

I get stressed,
I cry, I get emotional.

Only because you can
see this happening.

There are certainly many
factors

that have caused
the cost of living crisis.

The government cites
principally

international factors
such as war.

For over ten years now,
we have seen an increase

in the amount of people

who are availing
of food bank services.

This is a much longer,
systemic policy trend

happening within the country.

I can't help feeling that

as the cost of living
crisis deepens,

as it will this winter,

Michelle is gonna be
stretched ever thinner,

thinner and thinner.

♪♪

MICHELLE: Good morning,
good morning,

good morning, everybody.

First and foremost,

I'm about five minutes away
from the hub.

Parents, if you're working,
come down.

We're trying to
help you cook less

by providing healthy,
ready-made meals,

helping you to save your own
gas and your own fuel.

Please come down!

NARRATOR: While Michelle
gets on with the mammoth task

of managing the food hubs,

Sean's keen to hear
from other staff and clients.

CARLETTA: Hello!
Just got in time!

NARRATOR: Today, he's at one
of Michelle's other centers

run by Carletta.

You know, like I always say,

I appreciate
having you guys here.

What we're gonna be doing today

is we have to get
the numbers of foods

that we are actually
giving to people.

So, like,
if there's a family of four,

they need to get eight meals.

You guys got it?

If there's
a family of two, four.

We do also have a new guy,
Sean, that is here,

so you guys put him to work.
[laughs]

But, um,
everybody can chill out now.

Everyone want
a cup of tea, yeah?

NARRATOR: Unlike
Michelle's other hubs,

this one gives out hot food
on Wednesdays.

CARLETTA: One of the reasons
why we do hot meals

is because
the cost of living is high.

If they've already got
a hot meal here,

then they don't need to think
about whether they're gonna eat

or whether they're gonna top
up, you know?

So, that is the thing
that we're seeing

mainly across the board
with young, seniors,

families, even myself.

I go for it myself.

I volunteer here,
and I use here.

[sincere music playing]

What's your name, lovely?

- BRIANNA: Brianna.
- CARLETTA: Brianna.

Okay, so one adult,
three children.

She likes fresh fruit and veg,
so we go down to here.

The difference between our hub
and other bases

is that we are a family,

and we do understand
the struggles.

- Two porridges in there.
- Mm-hmm.

A pumpkin, two of those.

We try and break down those
stress barriers of thinking,

"Oh, my God,
I gotta go to a food bank,"

or "Oh, I don't want
no one to see me going here

"because they're gonna think
I'm poor,"

and right now everyone's poor,

regardless of whether
you're working or not.

Do you understand
what I'm saying?

So everyone is
going through a crisis.

SEAN: What has made you
need the food bank?

I actually work

- a full-time job.
- You do?

Yeah, because I've
got three children.

Sometimes, you know, by the
time you finish all your
bills...

it's not enough
to take you through the month.

Basically, since the pandemic,
all the prices have gone up.

What do I do?

Because if I don't pay
the household bills,

I can lose my tenancy,

I can have the debt collectors
come, and,

you know, just make my life a
living hell.

We talk about
the food crisis, but...

until now,
that has been more or less

just a phrase that we say
or a statistic.

Being here,
seeing how this works

will be really useful, I think,

especially for me to speak
to the other activists

to see what we can do.

Thank you so much, guys,
seriously.

Thank you. God bless, man.
Thank you all.

NARRATOR: Across Britain,

Black households are up to
four times more likely

to suffer from food
insecurity than the national
average.

In Michelle's home borough
of Hackney,

around 20% of locals
are from the Black community.

SEAN: So,
are we delivering this?

I believe that you are
going to take that role today.

This will not fit in my panier.

Great. We will manage.

NARRATOR: Sean is coming to
the end of a 12-hour shift.

SEAN: Three here. Four.

NARRATOR: And his final job
of the day

is to prepare a box of food
for a single mother.

VOLUNTEER: No, Sean,
there's four.

Listen,
you're gonna get fired already.

[Sean laughs] We need to
be able to count to four,

Sean, okay?

Hi, my name is Sean.

I'll be performing
this magic trick

where I get four days of food
into this panier.

How do people usually cycle
large amounts of food

to their delivery address?

Very, very smart.

[laughs] I was so close.

All right, so I'm gonna
deliver this food,

- and I'm cycling.
- [laughing]

- See you. I'll be back.
- See you!

♪♪

- SEAN: Hi, there. Lois?
- LOIS: Oh, yeah.

SEAN: How are you? I'm Sean.

- Nice to meet you.
- LOIS: Thank you.

- Can I give you these things?
- Yes.

NARRATOR: Lois lives in
a temporary two-bed flat

with a child
she's recently taken in

whose mother died, as well as
her own three children.

SEAN: Why is it that
you have to go to a food hub?

I lost my job through
my children's school situation.

I was working,
and it came to a point

that the time I finished the
job

and the time I picked them
wasn't matching.

- SEAN: Okay, clash of time.
- Yeah.

So they said to me
they cannot help me anymore.

SEAN: You had to quit your job

so that your children
could go to school.

If I were in that position,

I would make the same choice
that you've made.

Yeah. So when I quit my job,
I have to go to benefits.

It's not enough.

Everything is up now.

So when I get the benefits,

what I do is use it
to pay the bills

so that I won't be behind.

Then if I see I don't
have enough for the month,

then I ask for the food bank.

SEAN: I see. That makes sense.

Would you say
that this is, like,

one of the most difficult
phases of your life?

LOIS: Yeah.

And I'm a bit scared

because of my past experience.

I was in arrears,

and I couldn't afford
to pay my bill.

- SEAN: You were in arrears?
- Yeah.

And the landlord asked me

to move from the place,

which I wasn't working as well,

so I ended up
being on the streets.

SEAN: How long were you--

Um, I was on the streets
for more than--

almost four years.

And...

SEAN: I'm so sorry.

...I don't know.

I'm really scared...

how me and my kids
are going to end up.

[somber music playing]

NARRATOR: Lois's daughter,
13-year-old Angel,

is fully aware
of the family situation

and the need for the food
hub.

I'm actually quite grateful,
'cause, like, getting food

nowadays is difficult,
especially with the food crisis

and the cost of living crisis
and everything.

I know the government is saying
they're trying to do their best

to deal with it, but I don't
really see much change.

SEAN: Do you feel
kind of powerless?

Do you wish you could do more?
How does that--

I wish I could become
a politician at 13,

so I can, like, speak for those
that actually can't speak,

because, like, politicians,
they may be so much older,

but they're not doing anything.

SEAN: Oh, I would
vote for you for sure.

You seem to be more
clued in than most of us.

More than me, anyway.

- Bye.
- SEAN: Bye-bye. See you.

- LOIS: Bye.
- Thank you.

♪♪

SEAN: It has
really driven home to me

how terrifying this winter
is going to be.

Lois might not survive
this winter.

Like, she--
she might be made homeless.

That is a very real and
incredibly frightening
prospect.

I can't help feeling that
there's a bigger picture here,

and I think it will probably
involve policy makers.

Reaching out
to politicians, maybe.

One of the reasons
that I am here

is because
I have experience in activism.

One thing
that I have tried to do

is connect grassroots issues
that we've experienced,

whether
it's in the Mediterranean

or in the medical response work

that we've done
with policymakers,

with people
who can make a difference.

And so reaching out to them

is something
that I've always tried to do.

Okay, I'm gonna place a call

to the Secretary
for Work and Pensions.

This is the person
who is responsible

for the policies that affect

all of the people
that we've spoken to.

[line ringing]

If I could speak to somebody
or anybody in Parliament,

my first question
would be to them,

what did you have for
breakfast this morning?

And what did your children have
for breakfast this morning?

Because our children
don't have breakfast.

[line ringing]

MICHELLE: I want them
to open up their eyes.

I want them to feel
some compassion and empathy.

I want them to look down
and think, "Oh, my God,

how the hell
have I let that happen?"

[line ringing]

VOICEMAIL: Our office is
unable to take your call at
present.

We're currently working
on a 14-day response time

where we will get back to you
as soon as possible.

Thank you very much.

SEAN: The time to get back to
us is up to two weeks.

There are folks
talking about not knowing

whether they'll eat tonight.

Not tomorrow night,
not next week,

not in two weeks' time.

And that's--
that's very, very frightening.

♪♪

- [phone beeping]
- MICHELLE: Who is this?

NARRATOR: While Sean
has made a start

on publicizing the wider
issue,

Michelle is struggling
to run her operation.

MICHELLE: Volunteers
disappearing, not well.

NARRATOR: She's struggling to
find people to staff her
hubs,

which means she has to
fill in the gaps herself.

PRODUCER:

Yes, it does. [sighs]

PRODUCER:

MICHELLE: I have to deal
with stuff.

If I don't deal with stuff,
people don't get fed.

It's just frustrating.

How much more can I actually
do?

It's when I say, "You know
what, I can't do anymore.

I need to shut it down."

- [doorbell ringing]
- Oh, my God.

- Hi, Sean.
- SEAN: Good morning.

How are you?

MICHELLE: We've got some issues
going on right about now,

so it's gonna be
really difficult for me

to even sit down with you

because that's not
how it goes, really.

This whole situation,
I just-- I just--

I'm beginning to think
to myself, "Maybe I should stop

"because the government are
just thinking it's quite easy

"just to keep putting
the pressure on Michelle

"and other people like myself."

SEAN: It just doesn't seem
sustainable, right?

MICHELLE: We can't keep
relying on volunteers

and their goodwill.

People need to get paid.
[sighs]

[phone beeping]

You've invited me
into your home and,

you know, it's so clear
that you have so much going on

and the separation between
work,

the hub, and your home is--

I mean,
there is no separation, really,

- is there?
- MICHELLE: No.

NARRATOR: Michelle
is a mother of two

and uses her family home

to store excess food
for the hub.

The reason why I bring
the food back here,

not only because
of the storage space,

but there's a lot of people
that come to my house

or they will ring up
in an emergency,

and I'll be saying to them,
"All right then."

So, I'll go in my fridge,

take the biscuits,
I'll take a crisp.

I've got the bags in the
sitting which I'll show you.

So, I've got my own
little food hub here

for, like, the really,
really dire emergencies.

And the cupboard.

Obviously, this chest freezer
was donated to us.

One day,
we might be running the hub,

and we might not have any meat.

So, I'll come here
and get the meat.

Or it could be we're cooking
at the hub this week and--

Is this your living room?

[somber music playing]

MICHELLE: Right,
so this is the second part

of where we keep the food.

My home life currently

is organized chaos.

[laughing]

Foils that we cook and serve

the clients with.

You may come into my house
and you may sort of, like,

think, "Oh, wow."

But I know where everything is.

And then this is
the last chest freezer,

which is the community
food hub freezer.

And again,
if there's anything there

that we can put in there,
put it all in there.

SEAN: This is
your living room, right?

Or at least it once
could have been

your living room,
and now it's a storage space.

But, like,
where do you switch off?

Where do you just--
where are you just Michelle

and just relaxing?

And where are you at home?

♪♪

It's so clear that you're
the beating heart of the hub.

If you were not there tomorrow,
what would that mean?

I mean, would it continue?
Could it continue?

MICHELLE: If I decide,
"Well, you know what?

"This phone is gonna
be switched off,"

then nothing would get done.

Why is that?

Because the amount
of emails that is coming up--

- [phone beeps]
- There you go.

- SEAN: But that--
- Sorry. Hold on one moment.

Hi, B.
Thank you so, so, so, so much.

Much appreciated.
I love you guys.

Thank you. Okay.
What was you saying?

It seems like you're not sure
if you can keep going.

And what does that mean
for people who need that food?

They'll die.
And I say that with conviction.

They will die.

SEAN: It's so wonderful that
Michelle has this food hub,

but, unfortunately,
the need for it has grown

so much that it's expanded
into every aspect of her life.

She's so reliant
on unpaid volunteers.

And to the end of the day,
the buck always stops with her.

And she's, I think, now really
struggling to meet that demand.

♪♪

NARRATOR: After spending
a few days with Michelle,

Sean is keen to speak
to his fellow changemakers

to see if they have any ideas
on how best to help her out.

So what are the actual needs
of Michelle

to keep this food bank going?

Right now, she is a call
center,

she's a food hub,
she's a manager.

She's doing everything
at the same time,

and she needs support.

Founders usually think
they can do it all

because they're
so, so passionate.

I got nearly burnt myself.

And then later on,
I realized that

I need to understand
my limitations.

Michelle can't do everything.

SEAN: Yeah,
you need to have delegation,

role assignment.

And then over it all,
it's money.

You know, she needs funds,
because if Michelle gets sick

or is unable
to continue this work,

then I fear that
this operation might collapse.

I cannot avoid thinking about
the different neighborhoods

in Buenos Aires and how we
use gentrification.

I mean, one idea could be

to engage middle class
city dwellers

and go to places
where they spend money.

♪♪

NARRATOR: In Hackney, there
are over 1,000 restaurants,

eight of which have
Michelin Stars,

but it's also home to seven
food banks like Michelle's.

SEAN: There are people
in the community

who are not eating anything

and then there are
Michelin Star restaurants

catering to a community that,

you know,
has money to spend this winter.

And it'd be really nice

to try and pull Michelle
together with those
restaurants.

- Michelle.
- Sean, how you doing?

- How are you?
- Not too bad. Thank you.

Good to see you.

As you know,
I've been learning from you,

speaking to the volunteers,
and then I went back

to the panel of activists
to see what their thoughts are

and we just kind of had
a general brainstorm, I guess.

And so Hackney
is gentrified, right?

The restaurants there
that have lots of money,

what if they ask
their customers,

"Here's your £28 tab
for the meal you just had.

How about you round it up to 30

and those £2 go to Michelle
and the food hub?"

Right. Okay, first and
foremost, I've tried
everything.

We've gone into the shops
in Mare Street.

I've given them the scan card,
I've asked them to put it up

and that was
just scan and donate.

NARRATOR: Along with
the GoFundMe web page,

Michelle's previous
fundraising

had been based
around donation jars

and a scan-and-donate QR code
on posters and flyers.

Some of them said,
"Yeah, yeah, no problem."

And then you walk away
and you come back

a couple of days ago
and there's no sign to be seen.

So it was more or less
the same kind of thing

what you're saying about
with the restaurants.

We've tried.
There's only so much we can do.

We've tried.

But I don't know how you're
gonna do it if we can't do it.

SEAN: Has Michelle
put her faith in me?

I imagine that she hasn't.

And that's kind of
a little bit of pressure.

NARRATOR:
Sean and Michelle have come

to Hackney's fashionable
Broadway Market

to see if they can find
restaurants that will help
fund

a paid employee
for the food hub.

Broadway Market used to be
a diverse market,

and then they started
closing down

all those kind of diverse shops

and putting up your posh,
your fancy shops.

You know,
you had sun-dried tomatoes

and the Caribbean people
and Asian people don't--

You know, sun-dried tomatoes?

You know? [laughs]

It wasn't for our taste buds,
and it was so gentrified,

you felt out of place
in your own community.

So the first shop
we could go to,

- this chip shop.
- Should we try it?

- Yes, yes, yes.
- Okay. I'm nervous.

- Let's do it.
- [laughs] Okay. Yeah.

SEAN: Hello there.

We have a wee bit of
a pitch for you.

- Okay.
- How did that go?

Well,
I'm gonna go by my instincts.

So, we're speaking to him, he's
not even giving you eye
contact.

So for me, he's not interested.

So if he's not interested,
that's fine.

I know he's busy,

but it's not
exceptionally busy in there.

But I personally won't be
coming back to this one.

The whole street.
We got a whole street.

All we're asking is that,
you guys, when you do your food

- and you got your little bill?
- Yeah?

Is there a way that
you can round off where

they'll be able to
donate a pound or two?

OWNER: It's tricky. I
appreciate the people you're
helping.

- MICHELLE: Yeah. Yeah.
- OWNER: But I'm having to

put my prices up.
But everyone is "eh, eh, eh."

We're a premium, unique pub.
Our food is secondary.

NARRATOR: With just
a few knock backs,

Michelle decides
it's time to switch

to her old fundraising
methods.

We've got another leaflet
called scan-and-donate,

and you can put it on your bar.

- Like a little QR code?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And then individual people
can either go

to our GoFundMe page.

I can just give a gift
if I want?

Yeah, we've got a scan card
that they can just scan.

So it's not just a box anymore?

No, we can do the scan. Is that
something that you would do?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Yeah?

SEAN: I really love
Michelle's energy right now.

She is chatting
to stall holders.

MICHELLE: Hello, man!

SEAN: Which is something I find

personally very difficult to do
to break that ice.

Would you be happy
if we was to provide you

with a little donation jar
and your clients

can put a little donation in?

It doesn't matter
if it's ten pence,

but every nickel helps.

My slight concern is now
that we're possibly

over-focusing on donation jars
and the scan cards.

Having a little kitty jar,
which we can put there

and your clients
can put some money in.

You know, that's a trickle in
and it's inconsistent,

but if we can get
the receipts idea going

in the bars and the
restaurants, it will be a very
steady flow.

And so I hope that we can also
refocus our attention there.

- MICHELLE: Thank you so much.
- No problem.

MICHELLE: You have
an amazing day.

SEAN: I feel like the markets
have been really receptive,

some of them are really open
to it and we have,

I think, at least two places
that want the jars in.

But I'm thinking, should we
also get a few more restaurants
in?

Because I know that
the market's here once a week,

the restaurants here
are always open.

Should we try and get more of a
mix of restaurants in as well?

Right. We may get more money
from these individuals

putting money in jars than we
actually get at the
restaurants.

Let's just make sure that
they see "Community food hub.

- We need your help."
- Yeah, okay. Let's go.

SEAN: I'm finding it
a little bit difficult still

to connect with her.

Maybe that trust
hasn't yet completely built.

Just gotta think about
what I can do to try and--

maybe even just sit down
together and have a chat

just to try to make sure
that she knows

we're both on the same side

and that I have some ideas
that could be useful.

In my line of work
in search and rescue--

because I mean,
I'm not sure I told you this,

I'm facing imprisonment.

I have a trial coming up
in January.

- You are lying?
- No, no, I'm telling you.

This is why I've been
invited to be here,

'cause I have experience
in activism as well.

And...

I face 20 years imprisonment
for search and rescue work

that I did
in the Mediterranean Sea.

I'm getting emotional
at the fact that...

you've sacrificed yourself
for something that is right.

When is our fight going to
stop?

I think actually sitting down
with Michelle just now

and opening up a little bit

might have gained me
some kudos with Michelle,

who I think kind of warmed up
to me there as we sat together.

What can we do?

SEAN: Well, for me,
it was coming in to help you.

What you do
is just an act of solidarity.

That's what I care about.

MICHELLE: But how
can we help you?

How can we help
people like yourself?

The whole point is that
we help each other, right?

Like, if I can help you
and the panel can help you

and you can go on
and help others.

Like,
that's what it's all about.

With this new trust,
I think we can forge ahead

and hopefully try to really
push the restaurant idea,

and, you know,
make sure that she has

the funds she needs
looking into this winter.

NARRATOR: Sean's found one
last place for them to try.

Oh, it smells lovely.

SEAN: Hello there. How are you?
We're looking for Andy.

- I'm Andy.
- Andy, how are you doing?

Thank you so much for
taking the time to speak to us.

NARRATOR: Andy Beynon
opened Behind Restaurant

in October 2020,
and within 20 days,

it earned
its first Michelin Star.

SEAN: A lot of Hackney
is going hungry in essence.

Obviously, Michelle's work in
the community is going to be,

I think, more difficult
as this winter really sets in.

Yeah.

SEAN: If your customers
are paying a bill

at the end of the night
and we round it up,

we can say it's going

to the Hackney
Community Food Hub.

They might say yeah to that.

ANDY: Um...

I-- I don't see
why anyone would have an issue.

What I would love to do...

and what I want to do
is add on a pound

to every bill just directly
send that money over every
month.

That little bit there
when it all collates together

is gonna be amazing.

So that's what
we're currently looking for.

Because I've lived around here
for a very long time,

so, like, family in the area
and stuff like that.

So it would mean a lot
to help out.

So, you know. This is great.

I mean, yeah, thank you
so much for being open to this.

Practically speaking, what
can we do to make that happen?

ANDY: James, what can they do?
Maybe wash up?

[laughter]

No, no, no,
I'll eat, he'll wash up.

I'll do some washing up
for this to happen.

I promise you, I will spend
the rest of the night here

- washing up.
- [Michelle laughing]

We got a kitchen
collaboration right here.

But yeah, no, like, again,
I love Hackney and I think--

Yeah, anything I can do.

- SEAN: That went well!
- MICHELLE: That did!

- He's lovely.
- SEAN: That went so well.

- He's lovely. He's--
- He's real.

He's real and he acknowledges,

and he's put his money
where his mouth is.

- Can I get a hug?
- Yes, I'd love a hug.

Thank you so much,
that's gorgeous. [laughs]

If we had more people like him
in the community,

then I'm sure
we'd be able to sort of,

like, sort out
a small part of the area

that we're trying to
sort of improve.

It was good. It was good.
And I got a hug. [laughing]

You got a Michelin Star
hug right there.

[both laughing]

MICHELLE: Oh, wow.

[mellow music playing]

NARRATOR: It's been five days
since Sean left a message

for the government minister
in charge of work and
pensions,

and there is still no
response.

SEAN: It's been really
quite frustrating, actually,

not having any politicians
come to speak to Michelle,

or at least listen
to what she has to say.

Well, if they're not
willing to come to us,

then I think
we'll have to go to them.

- Hey, folks, how are you?
- Hi, Sean.

Hello, Sean, how are you?

I'm thinking
some big kind of activism

that just shows the scale
of this crisis that they,

until now,
just been able to ignore.

I've spoken more
with clients of Michelle,

people who are in need
of the food hub.

And something that comes up
again and again

is this frustration
that they don't feel heard,

they don't feel seen,
they feel ignored.

The politicians will never
come around the table with
you.

You have to create that
pressure

because they're worried
about elections,

they're worried about
their image.

What can it be?
What can be put out?

What kind of
demonstration can we have

that makes people aware of
this?

I think
there's a very powerful...

idea around making
this direct action...

an empathic one.

The situation is bad now.

It's going to be much,
much worse

during the next months
and you can help us

to change the situation.

By getting involved,
by demanding politicians

to get more involved,

things could be different
during the next months.

One idea is putting out
plates to represent

the thousands of people that
will go hungry this winter.

To have it there
as a huge display

where it's really busy,

where people have to
come and see it,

where they engage with it,
where they can ask questions,

perhaps they can tweet it,

try to build momentum
around this issue.

MICHELLE: Morning, everybody!
[laughing]

It's seven o'clock
in the morning, man.

NARRATOR: It's the day
of the direct action,

and Sean's asked
Michelle and her volunteers

to meet him early in the
park.

Okay, here we are. Here we are.

- Good morning, Sean!
- SEAN: Good morning.

MICHELLE: How are you doing?

- It's cold!
- It's a bit breezy.

I know, right?

But we've got
our work to do today.

NARRATOR: Sean's van is
loaded

with the 730 plates needed
for today's call to arms.

All right, can we have
the plates coming over please?

We're okay,
we're okay, we're okay.

NARRATOR: Each plate
represents 10,000 people

in food poverty
in Britain today.

The aim of today is two-fold.

Hopefully this larger action
can attract

more volunteers
to Michelle's food hub.

Hopefully we can also get
some social media engagement

and some political engagement.

MICHELLE: Each plate
represents 10,000 people

that will go hungry, okay?

So we need the government

to be watching
and to be listening.

We need the local council

to be watching
and to be listening.

Come down and see me,
come and see what we're doing.

All right, guys,
I gotta go now. I've got work.

No, no, no, no!
No, no, no, no! [laughs]

NARRATOR: Members
of the UK government

have remained silent to Sean
and Michelle's request to
talk.

But Joe Walker, a local
Labor Party councilor,

has come along to find out
more.

MICHELLE:
What's happening is that

volunteers are tired, Joe.

Okay? They're exhausted.

So they've not got paid.

They've been using
their own petrol.

They've been affected by
the cost of living as well.

What we need? We need money.

We need money
to help the volunteers

with their mental health
because, again,

when we're serving
the clients and the public,

the horror stories
that we get coming in,

we're women and we're human
and we're empathetic.

And we can't just say, "Here's
your food bag and goodbye."

It's like, "Oh, my God, really?
What can we do?

"Oh, my God, you can't cook.

"You got three kids
under the age of one?"

We take on that,
and so it affects us as well.

So unless you give us that,
then we're not gonna be able

to provide the service
that we've been providing.

Then what are you guys
gonna do?

'Cause you guys
are gonna just leave it.

Well, there's grants available
from the council,

but it can't do everything,

and we haven't got
infinite money either.

So it's really got to be
partnership driven.

- It's got to be--
- Partnership driven

where you guys
get paid and we don't?

At the end of the day,
it's not our responsibility

to care for the community.
We've decided to take it on.

It's the council's
responsibility.

I would love to have
one of the counselors

in one of our hubs
serving our clients,

because the clients
would like to see

a member of their council

in the same spot that they're
in and not up there.

Because that's what we're
doing right about now.

You guys are up here
and we're down here,

and we're struggling
and we're suffering.

And we just need you guys
to meet us here,

so that we know that
you're in this fight with us.

We're fighting by ourselves
right about now, Joe.

SEAN: Something that Michelle
has continuously said is that

she has felt marginalized
or ignored by politicians.

- Can you cook?
- I can cook.

[both laughing]

So having a Hackney
local councilor come down

and speak and listen to her

has been really fortifying,
I think.

- We can do this together.
- [both laughing]

All right. Thank you so much.

MICHELLE:
We are facing issues, guys.

We're gonna have a lot of
people going hungry this
winter.

If you are interested
in knowing,

please step up and just listen
to a few of our words.

We've got a display there
of 730 plates.

Each plate represents
10,000 people.

One plate of this represents
10,000 people

that will be going hungry
this winter.

It is actually crazy looking at
the number of plates.

SEAN: It's a huge amount
of people.

It's elderly, it's families,
it's children,

it's disabled,
it's all the vulnerable people.

Do help us, put it out there on
social media

and every platform
that you can think of.

We need to get
the whole nation talking,

because the public have tried.

The government
doesn't seem to care,

so we have to put them to
shame.

Really and truly,
it's frightening

to know that such things
go on, you know?

We shouldn't be
in this position.

- Not now. Not now.
- MICHELLE: Yeah.

You can understand it
in the '50s or '60s, maybe,

when we just got over
the Second World War,

when things were short
and things like that, but now?

Would you like to hashtag
this plate-- You got a phone?

Take a picture of yourself
and hashtag that.

You can take a picture of him

and then all you got to do
when you get home

is just hashtag
"Enough is enough."

- Thank you so much.
- You're welcome.

MICHELLE: Lovely.

MAN: Got it.

WOMAN: Hold this like this.
Yeah, good boy.

Every mouthful you take,
there is somebody outside

that hasn't had no food.

We have parents starving
to feed their children.

We have 700 plates,

and each plate represents
10,000 people.

These people will die.

Don't walk past here
with your noses up.

We collect food every day,
every night,

seven days a week, voluntarily.

We've fed over 150,000 people.

All shapes, sizes,
creeds, colors, traditions.

[cheers and applause]

We're dedicating ourselves
to make sure

we support the community
and the vulnerable.

All I ask is that you guys
think and do the same. [laughs]

- [applause]
- MICHELLE: Thank you!

Take care, everybody,

and remember,
hashtag your plates.

- Thank you.
- What else can I do to help?

- Volunteering, yeah?
- I can.

- MICHELLE: Yeah?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

All right,
well, Latitia's there.

She will take your details.

I was interested
in the volunteering.

- Would you like to volunteer?
- Yeah.

If I could come
with my daughter.

VOLUNTEER: Thank you so much.

- Amazing. Cheers.
- Thank you.

Hello, changemakers.

I wanted to give you
a quick look at how it's going.

We've had loads
of people engaged.

WAHEED: Well, thank you so
much for attending to
Michelle.

At the end of the day,

we are there to support
women, to help.

I think you've done a great
job.

SEAN:
How do you think that went?

I think today went amazing.

We've still got people looking
and being interested.

- See you!
- All the best.

SEAN: We got
some good numbers too.

MICHELLE: Yeah.

This person's a whole family,
that's four people.

They have said for being here,

I think they were listening
to you speaking to that crowd.

They were in that crowd,
and they were like,

"What can we do?"

So I think we got
the message across for now,

but obviously as any message,

we have to keep pushing it out.

So thank you for following us.
Thank you for joining us.

Keep supporting us.

"#EnoughIsEnough."

All right guys. Over and out.

♪♪

NARRATOR: On the back
of their successful day

in Victoria Park,
Sean has one last thing

he'd like to help Michelle
with before he leaves East
London.

SEAN: Ever since seeing
her so-called living room,

which is really just
a storage unit

for her food hub...

I can't help feel that
clearing her living room

would also just give her space
to live a little bit.

I don't think
she's done a lot of that

for quite a long time.

Hello, Michelle. How are you?
Good to see you.

Hi, Sean. I'm fine.

I brought Pierce, our handyman.

Hello, Pierce!

SEAN: This looks
a little bit more

than I remember it last time.

It is a daunting task.

But basically,
I think what we need to do is,

I guess, move all of this out,

set up the shelves,
and move it all back in?

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Okay, we've got
our work cut out for us.

[laughing] Yeah.

I don't remember it
being this much.

[both laughing]

SEAN: I really want Michelle

to regain her sense
of separation between her home

and personal life
and her activist lifestyle.

When was the last time
you got back here?

Years go really quickly, right?
[laughing]

For me that's crucial,
not just for our own well-being

but for the well-being
of the hub.

If she is not in a good space
because she's exhausted

or experiencing burnout,

then she won't be able
to manage the food hubs either.

All right.

Well, we can actually
walk into the room,

so that's something.

Now that we've done it,
it kind of feels like

we have made your home
just more like a warehouse.

MICHELLE: For me,
this means a lot.

This is organized
without the chaos.

All my stuff here
is what I will be using

and we've utilized
and we've made space

and it's easy for me
to find things now.

SEAN: Today is like
a plaster on a problem,

but ideally
you wouldn't need any shelving.

What would it be like,
having a living room back?

Just coming through
the front door

and just hanging up your coat

and just sitting in here
and putting the TV on and,

you know, when the kids
coming through the door,

rather than us just coming
through the door,

walking up the stairs
and to our room. [laughs]

"Hi, Mom. Okay, hi!"

SEAN: You seem to know that
there is a cost to all of this.

You having your living room
full must cost you something.

But I think you find it
hard to express that.

You almost don't want to say
it.

Maybe I'm just in denial.
I don't know.

I'm just-- You know what it is?

I'm so enrolled in my purpose
right about now

and I can't really say
whether the kids have suffered

because we've not had
the family time.

I do know because we haven't
had that family time

and we've all gone
into our own rooms, um...

we are kind of, like,
loners to a certain degree.

We are eating separately,

we are entertaining
ourselves separately.

That's the sacrifice
I didn't really realize

until you've just said that.

SEAN: The book ends with you

on every single detail
of your organization.

If it's, like, media thing,
you're the person.

If it's volunteering,

you are the person
that fills the gap.

If it's storage, it's your
home.

You just have so much to do.

No one's ever said that.

It's always me saying it
so no one understands.

So for you to say it,
it's like I know you get it.

Yeah, I know you get it.

And meeting you,
Sean, is just like,

I wish you was around more.

You just kind of come along
and do this yourself

and it's just no pretense

and there's nothing
that you want.

- I think you're an amazing
guy. - SEAN: Thank you.

- I do.
- Anyway, let's-- this is it.

We're good. All right.

For me, activism,
it's a long road.

And it is characterized
by failure

and getting up and marching on.

MICHELLE: Oh, thank you, Sean.

You're most welcome.
You really are.

It's our resilience
to that failure

and our unwillingness,

our stubbornness to not give
up.

That is what is important
because eventually

we get to meaningful change,

but only
if we keep fighting for it.

I feel like
I found a really good friend.

- SEAN: Me too.
- And I feel really

- grateful for you.
- SEAN: Yeah, me too.

- Thank you.
- SEAN: Thank you.

Even though we've seen
the situation getting worse

and even though we know
and we predict

it's gonna get worse still,
nothing will stop us

from making sure
that we support the community.

As much as there's food

and we can go
and collect that food,

as much as we have volunteers,

even if it's one
or two or three volunteers

and we can work,
then we will always make sure

we support
as many people as possible.

- Okay.
- Speak to you soon.

After you. [laughs]

Has it stopped
raining out there then?

- Oh, lovely.
- Well, do you know what?

- It has. See you soon.
- Get home, then. Bye.

♪♪

♪♪