“It’s so good to know we live in a supportive community”. That’s what one of the recipients of the weekly food bag delivered by the Food Hub said as he picked up his bags of tinned goods and fresh fruit and vegetables from the doorstep.
The West Hampstead Community Food Hub based at the Sidings Community Centre exists to tackle food poverty in our area. During the height of the Covid19 pandemic many of our neighbours reached out to the West Hampstead & Kilburn Mutual Aid Groups for food support due to ill health, disability or unemployment, and the weekly food bag deliveries, filled with items donated by West Hampstead residents, were started.
It's the right thing to do
It's important to us to be involved in helping our community where we can really make a positive impact. Recently Sidings was having to throw out perfectly good perishable food because they didn't have the ability to store the items. We decided to donate a brand new fridge and freezer to increase their capacity to store donations. This way they can get fresh, nutritious food to people in need, and can also store more to help more families.
Simply put by Spencer, "It's a no brainer. We need to do whatever we can to help."
The aim of the Food Hub is to support at least 70 families in the NW6/NW2 area of Camden each Saturday, either collected from Sidings Community Centre or delivered by volunteers to those unable to leave their homes. As the economic impact of the pandemic starts to hit home, the need will increase, and the Food Hub hopes to grow their capacity and sustainability over the coming months.
Ready to help your neighbours?
Our office is now accepting food donations for the Food Hub on weekdays between 9am and 6pm. Were closed to the public, so just knock on the door and we will come collect your donations to sanitise and deliver to the Food Hub!
If you're able to help out, here is a list of what is most urgently needed:
- Pasta
- Vegetarian Pasta Sauce
- Tinned chopped tomatoes
- Tinned vegetables
- Tinned pulses
- Tinned fruit
- Vegetarian soup
- Small tins of tuna
- UHT milk
- Cereals
If you prefer you can also make a donation. Our office is committed to supporting one household each week.
- A regular donation of £50 per month would support one household each week
- A regular donation of £25 per month would support one household every other week
- A regular donation of £12 per month would mean one household received fresh fruit and vegetables every week
- A one off donation of £150 would support one household every week between now and Christmas
Each bag of fresh and non-perishable items would cost about £12 to buy at a supermarket. That means the Food Hub needs to raise about £850 each week to support 70 households. Volunteers from the Mutual Aid Groups collect, sort, pack and deliver the food items, and a grant from the Edward Harvist Fund will help to fund a part-time staff member to help with the operational logistics of running the food hub, open the building on Saturdays, make connections in the community so they can reach more of the people in need in our area, and plan for the future.
If you are able to give a monthly donation, you can go to https://www.justgiving.com/sidingscc. Or to make a one off donation, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/whcfh.
You can also offer to be a volunteer to help the Food Hub by emailing: office@sidings.org.uk
Together, we can make a difference to our neighbours in need. Let's all be a part of a supportive community.
