M&S Ashford Warren Retail Park

Established in June 2022, we are a grassroots community project run by volunteers. Our focus is on preventing food waste. We rescue good food from, farms, shops, gardens, allotments and households. The food is available for anyone to collect and it is free! Our focus is sustainability, but we are well aware that our surplus food allows those experiencing food insecurity to make ends meet. Our welcoming volunteers encourage community inclusion, diversity and help keep loneliness at bay. We are proud of our little project and aim to keep achieving great things for our community. Thank you for your continued support !

Vinnie's Diner is open every Monday and Friday lunchtime - doors open 10.00am - and run until approximately 1:00pm. We hope to promote the wellbeing of our community by providing a place where the most vulnerable in our society can feel safe, cared for, and be given a practical helping hand through a hot nutritious meal and the offer of a food parcel to help 'make ends meet'. We hope to help create a sense of community through both the team of volunteers who help each week and the guests who regularly visit us. We are able to act as a distribution point for food businesses/ supermarkets who are looking to give away surplus food to help those in need. We already work with FareShare. We also aim to be a 'hub' where vulnerable people can access support through other agencies. At present we work closely with Porchlight who help the homeless find accommodation. They currently send one of their staff to our project to engage with rough sleepers. At present we see around 40-50 attend Vinnie's Diner each Monday and 20-30 on a Friday who all enjoy a sit down meal - and we give out approximately 100 food parcels a week.

Pneuma Church Compassion encompasses a number of projects aimed at bringing life to Ashford. We believe that people are best helped from within their community, and that receivers can be empowered to give back to others. By forming relationships with those we serve, we are best placed to see and address the real needs of the community and can partner with health, social and aid agencies to ensure everyone has the opportunity to live a full life. RENEW Renew is our social supermarket MUMMY’S MEALS Free cooked meals delivered to your house for a week with the aim to help lessen the stress of a new baby, broken cooker, or hospital stay. Referrals come from Social Services, Children’s Centres, Midwifery Team and others. STOREHOUSE Free children's clothing and school uniform. We also have baby clothing, equipment, and toiletries for all ages. LIFE-SKILLS COURSES We hope to launch a series of life-skills courses aimed at empowering people to take control of their lives, relationships and finances. We also hope to run marriage and parenting courses aimed at strengthening families and giving people the tools they need to deal with relational challenges.