M&S Hackney

As a parish church our aim is to serve the community of Dalston through the drop-in centre and food aid, which is run by a team of volunteers. Currently the drop is open on Tuesday morning and afternoon with the hope to open for more days during the week. On average forty to fifty people attend the drop-in, many of whom are unemployed, retired or on low income. Hot meals are served for a nominal fee of £1 for those that can afford to pay. Those who cannot afford get a meal for free. This project is now in its second year and has become popular with the local community, who not only come for a hot meal but because they get to meet and chat with other people. Every year on Saturday nights through to Sunday morning in the winter months (January to March) we run a homeless shelter in one of the church halls. Meals, hot drinks, clothing and a bed are provided. Many continue coming in search of practical help from the church beyond the winter months through the weekly drop-in centre. The church also run a food aid scheme that give out food parcels to needy individuals and families in the area. This can be accessed at any time by visiting the church or by ringing the parish office to make an appointment to collect a food parcel. There have been occasions where financial assistance has been given for charging utilities such as electricity and gas. All of the listed activities are made possible by the donations that we get from members of the public and members of the church. The volunteer team is made of local residents and church members, who share our vision and passion for a better and equitable society where the needy and poor are not left to fend for themselves. It is our hope that the newly opened Marks & Spencer’s food store in Dalston will be a valued partner which shares our quest to alleviate hunger and poverty suffered by so many in our community on low income.

Hackney priory parents live in supported accommodation aimed at providing services for young vulnerable parents / young people with complex needs/ young people with mental health needs, between the ages of 16 – 24 years old. One housing have merge with Riverside March 22, we are now One Housing part of Riverside – within the organisation I work with valuable young parents -who are referred by Hackney Social Services, there needs varies from Mental Health, Domestic abused, substance misuse – asylum seekers etc etc etc. We have a few sites in Hackney for young people with complex needs who also receive these donations. These young people we work with are on very low income who struggle day to day to manage their income/budget. Receiving donation helps these young people with managing on their low income, the donations are much appreciated by young people as most of the item which are donate would be unaffordable on their budget. Every Tuesday we run a young mother’s group to promote positive parenting, healthy relationships, positive mental health and well being, amongst other things. The young mothers are all on low incomes and would welcome any donations that are offered; we could also use donations to facilitate healthy cooking workshops and encourage budgeting their income accordingly. We have in the past received clothing items from charity organisation which is not ongoing. We do not collect any other donation from retailers. We do not work in the community all donations are handed out to Hackney Parents and Complex Needs within our Hackney organisation. We collect Customer donation from Lidi in Hackney 3 time a week with donations from Lidi. Thank you for your continuous support from your team

Sistah Space is a specialist charity dedicated to supporting African and Caribbean female survivors of domestic abuse. We aim to recognise cultural factors that impact both the way Black women experience domestic abuse and how they are often received by organisations. We are a non profit with a small core team and also engage in community outreach initiatives. We operate a small scale 'foodbank' where we distribute food to the local community and our service users.