Fulham Foodbank Launch Proves Big Success

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Mayor visits Sainsbury's to support scheme for needy people

Hammersmith and Fulham Mayor Adronie Alford will be visiting Sainsbury's in Townmead Road at around 11am this Saturday, December 4 to lend her support to the third Foodbank food collection taking place at the supermarket.

The Foodbank is a store of food donated by the community which can be distributed to people in crisis. Shoppers at Sainsbury's are invited to take part tomorrow by donating store cupboard items from a list provided at the store's entrance.

The list includes non-perishable staples such as 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

Since being launched in spring, the Foodbank has proved a huge success, providing food for 200 needy people. As the scheme provides provides each person requiring emergency relief with enough food to make ten meals for them and their families, that amounts to 2,000 meals.

The collected food is stored at ChristChurch Fulham in Studdridge Street, who launched the initiative along with other local churches.

The Fulham Foodbank is the 51st branch of a national project run by Christian charity The Thrussell Trust, who set it up ten years ago as a direct response to the growing need for emergency relief for people who hit a crisis point in their lives.

Daphine Aikens, project manager of the H&F branch says: " We now have 20 very committed volunteers who serve at the café-style distribution centre twice a week.  They have all really enjoyed meeting and chatting with clients.

" We have received, over the last 6 months, approximately 2.8  tonnes of food donated by Churches, Schools, and members of the public at supermarket food collection days, and we’ve given away just under 1 tonne."

Anyone wishing to help the Foodbank project can make donations of nonperishable food to Christ Church Fulham in Studdridge Street. The Foodbank is open every Tuesday from 10.30am until 1pm and every Friday from 2pm until 4.30pm,

December 3, 2010