M&S Bromley

Downham Aid is a community Volunteering organisations formed by residents to help those most vulnerable members of Bromley and Lewisham Communities to access support and services. Having now supported over 3500 individuals with Emergency Food Boxes during the coronavirus outbreak while also providing a range of support services to combat loneliness and other mental health issues through creating be-friending networks on social media. Downham Aid are committed to continuing to support their residents throughout the community by designing a Social Supermarket to help reduce poverty and offer many other services. There is no charge for the food that we provide.

We are a volunteer run group focused on reducing food waste and supporting local families in need. Our mission is simple: to make sure no one in our community goes hungry while tackling the growing problem of food surplus. Thanks to our partnerships with Neighbourly, Fareshare and Caboodle, we have benefited from strong relationships with local supermarkets and food providers—including M&S, Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Nando's, KFC, Co-op, Lidl, Aldi, Pret a Manger, and Gail’s Bakery—we rescue surplus food and redistribute it to those who need it most via personal contacts and our Partner Organisations. This gives us the ability to provide varied, nutritious food parcels at no cost to families and individuals facing food insecurity. In addition to fresh food collections, we also stock a community cupboard with ambient and non-perishable items, enabling members of our community to access support anonymously and with dignity. Our recipients are identified through word of mouth and referrals from local schools and community organisations. Each week, we supply the equivalent of 2250 meals to local families and indiviuals as well as primary schools and community groups - ensuring that anyone who needs food can access it easily. Together, we are building a stronger, more sustainable community where food is shared, not wasted.

Every day, people go hungry in the UK for all kinds of reasons, from changes and delays in the benefits system to redundancy to receiving an unexpectedly large bill for a major repair. A simple box of food makes a big difference, with foodbanks helping prevent crime, housing loss, family breakdown and mental health problems. Bexley Foodbank relies on the support of local people, businesses and communities to help alleviate poverty and hunger in our community. Food donations Non-perishable in-date food is donated by the public at places across the local community, such as schools,churches and businesses, as well as supermarket collection points. It is then sorted and packed into boxes by volunteers, ready to be given to people in need. Food vouchers Care professionals such as doctors, health visitors, schools and social workers identify people in crisis and issue them with a foodbank voucher. They can exchange this voucher for a foodbank parcel of three days’ nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food. The help we give… Our foodbanks offers a lot more than food. Our volunteers offer a listening ear to clients over a warm drink, and signpost people to other charities and agencies who can help resolve the underlying cause of the crisis. There are many ways to help The Trussell Trust as a volunteer from helping at collection points, to stock-taking and audits, to helping us refurbish our premises. We can continue supporting people in crisis thanks to passionate people giving their time to help their hungry neighbours. Please get involved by following our project page and share this project with your friends and followers using the social icons on this page. Click the volunteering tab above to see our upcoming volunteer events and sign up to help us tackle food poverty together.