The Crown pub in Hastings' Old Town is hosting an open-call art exhibition throughout July 2026 to support Sustenance, a St Leonards charity tackling food insecurity. Artists from across Hastings are invited to donate works on the theme of Food, Sharing and Community, with each piece sold for £50 and 100% of proceeds going directly to Sustenance. The exhibition opens with a drinks event on July 6, 2026.
This exhibition matters because it leverages local creative talent to address urgent food poverty in the Hastings area, demonstrating how art can serve as a practical fundraising tool for community charities. Sustenance, which evolved from a COVID-era community kitchen into a registered charity in 2024, provides nutritious food, meals, and skill-building workshops to vulnerable residents, making the partnership a model for grassroots art-and-social-impact collaborations.