Local food charity named as Mayoral charity – provide up to 19,000 emergency food parcels in the last year. Nearly £40,000 raised for last year’s charity – the Young Lewisham Project
The Mayor of Lewisham, Damien Egan announced his Mayoral charity partner for 2023, Lewisham Foodbank, at a Full Council meeting last night, Wednesday 17 May.
Lewisham Foodbank are a local food charity who run a warehouse and 5 distribution centres around the borough and currently provide food and essentials for approximately 2500 people a month, with 200 volunteers providing approximately 450 hours a week to make the operation work. They are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.
The announcement of the new Mayoral Charity for the year was also an opportunity for the Mayor to present last year’s charity – the Young Lewisham Project – with a cheque for £36,500 thanks to the generosity of local people.
Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham said, “I am pleased to announce Lewisham Foodbank as our new charity. Sadly, one in four households in Lewisham experience food poverty, and there is a growing demand for people needing help. With Lewisham Foodbank already doing excellent work helping people in crisis and working with other food banks across the borough, it made sense for them to be this year’s charity.
The generosity of Lewisham locals is strong, we have seen that through previous charity appeals, and I am delighted to present a cheque of £36,500 to the Young Lewisham Project. I know this amount will go a long way to support these young people.”
Sarah Vitty, Project Manager, Lewisham Foodbank said, “We are really grateful to be nominated as the Mayoral Charity Partner this year. It has been a busy and challenging year for our staff and volunteers as the demand for our foodbanks has vastly increased. We remain committed to working to alleviate food poverty in Lewisham and to be a source of hope and encouragement for those who use our services. This award will help us to continue to be there for those in need in our community during this cost of living crisis.”
Anna Lumley, Managing Director of the Young Lewisham Project was thrilled to accept the cheque and said, “Thanks so much to everyone for all their support and generous donations over the last year. It’s made a huge difference to us. We’ve been able to order a load of new equipment for the gym, kitchen and digital media studio, plus even a container for our bicycle project. Everyone is very excited about it all.”
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About Lewisham Council
Lewisham is a vibrant and culturally diverse borough. This reflected in all aspects of daily life, from the response to the pandemic where the community rallied to support our most vulnerable residents, to the 170 languages spoken in our homes, schools and businesses. We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.
As we plan ahead, we are working towards a fairer, greener, healthier and more economically sound future for all in Lewisham. This means continuing our efforts to tackle climate change for generations to come; ensuring that good health and wellbeing is equally accessible to everyone; and safeguarding local jobs and upskilling residents with tools they need to succeed. Building on the community spirit and activism that has helped us through the pandemic and cost of living crisis, we are committed to creating a Future Lewisham we can all have a part in.
About Lewisham Foodbank
Lewisham Foodbank is run by Transform Network, (a group of local churches) under the Trussell Trust Franchise. These churches set up Lewisham Foodbank in November 2012 to support people facing hardship by providing food and compassionate, practical support to help tackle the root causes of people’s food poverty. We run a warehouse and 5 distribution centres around the borough and currently provide food and essentials for approximately 2500 people a month. In addition, we partner with other local groups to provide a range of wrap around services including advice services, gas and electric vouchers, an essentials fund to support people with the cost of white goods and prayer if requested.
We rely on the incredible support of our community who donate food, time and financial donations; 200 volunteers provide approximately 450 hours a week to make the operation work, from sorting food, packing parcels, greeting visitors, making tea, inputting data, doing deliveries and picking up donations. You can support us by offering your time volunteering at one of our centres or warehouse or by providing food or monetary donations. Details about how to do this are on our website.
About the Young Lewisham Project
The Young Lewisham Project work with up to 350 young Lewisham residents each year, and offer a wide range of supportive alternative vocational programmes to young people who may not be achieving in mainstream education. They deliver projects, activities and trips that include practical skills such as motorbike mechanics and bicycle maintenance, woodwork, furniture restoration and upcycling, art and crafts, gardening and allotment work and cooking.