Introducing you to the Hackney Foodbank!

Published on Apr 07, 2022

An organisation with the aim to support people who are in crisis or trapped in poverty with compassion and dignity. This is achieved by providing emergency food parcels, which offer practical, immediate relief in moments of crisis, and by connecting people with local organisations who can help them to address the root causes and wider effects of poverty in their lives.

What project have they kickstarted after receiving funding from our Community Pot?

Home Deliveries!

What are the key objectives of this project?

To further their strategic objective of being a more equitable and inclusive organisation by offering a home delivery service. This will provide emergency food parcels, opportunities to talk, and signposting and support to beneficiaries who cannot travel due to issues with illness, mobility, disability, mental health, accessibility, age, lack of transport or are otherwise unable to access their delivery centres.

They have 5 centres where people can go and get food. The Home Deliveries project is for people who are unable to leave their house for any reason apart covid quarantine or are afraid to come out of the house due to mental issues. The organisation is operating on a voucher system and using referral agencies that inform them who needs food delivered.

Home deliveries are taking place every day of the week. The food bank uses Pedal me, a company that outsources cargo bikes to get the deliveries to everyone. Those bikes are zero-emission. They can carry up to 150 kilos per ride (10 to 25 kilos per parcel).

Hackney Foodbank stayed open throughout the pandemic and converted to home deliveries, delivering about 120 parcels per day.

March 2022 saw a spike in people who needed the charity even more so than pre-pandemic. That was a direct result of the rise in costs – of – living. It is expected that this number will not drop any time soon.

Plans going forward

Hackney foodbank is looking to open a 6th centre and establish a mobile food bank as well. The charity is hoping to own cargo bikes in the future too!

Volunteers

Across all 5 centres and the warehouse, there are about 150 volunteers.