Lidl Blackbird Hill

ln August 2007, ECE recieved a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of 300,000 members of the IYF (International Youth Fellowship) for our contribution to the UK branch. In September 2008, Esther Community Enterprise was awarded certificates from the Lord Mayor of Croydon, for having carried out 100 hours of volunteering activities. On the 2 June 2011, ECE was awarded with theQueens Award for Voluntary Service, MBE. This is the highest award given to voluntary groups in the United Kingdom, and as such, is equivalent in status to the MBE. This prestigious UK National Honour recognises outstanding voluntary contributions and sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged to be of the highest standard. We aim to meet those who have needs in the local community by redistribution of food and other consumables donated from retailers. ECE makes a worthwhile collective response to the 3 tenets of sustainable development, namely social, economical and environmental needs. ECE forms a consortium with other charities, faith groups, projects and organisations. We have over 70 Project Co-ordinators. They manage and help to distribute the food/groceries and clothing items within the local communities across the UK, on behalf of ECE. We have sustained our social enterprise through the goodwill and hard work of over 400 drivers and countless volunteers, who contribute their time, transportation and finance to this worthy cause. Near sell by date food is collected on a daily basis from a range of supermarkets and other retailers and diverted to those that need it most ECE feeds in excess of 40,000 people per week and this is steadily on the increase as we expand across the UK

We befriend people to relieve isolation and loneliness while informing of opportunities around them, supporting them to achieve potentials by improving skills already possessed through volunteering/ work experience and placements and or providing new skills for life chances and sustainability. Based in a rented shop unit in Grahame Park Estate, 7 The Concourse, NW9 5XB, used as a Church meeting place on Sundays, we provide Youth Club on Thursday and Friday evenings, warm space in cold weather and cool space in warm weather and provide health & wellbeing activities for people aged 55+. We offer seasonal parenting programme to strengthen families and our community. We provide daily good surplus food redistribution to relieve food hunger and to prevent wastage towards Net Zero 2050, and weekly food bank with fitness exercises, and monthly nutrition advice session with social prescribing. We offer advice and referrals as needed. We provide employment skills training towards self-sustainability. We also provide financial support funded by Acts 435 and household support fund in collaboration with BOOST of Barnet Group. We are a member of Barnet Food Partnership, led by the Health in All Policies, Public Health Communities, Adults and Health Directorate, London Borough of Barnet More information about Living Way Ministries and Barnet Foodshare is online at www.livingwayministries.net

This Foodbank is run by volunteers for anyone in need. We give our food and personal items. We open on Tuesdays and Fridays and on the first and third Saturday of each month. We have helped approximately 1400 times since opening in the first lockdown in 2020. We give out long life food and fresh food if we have it.