Lidl Hanwell

The London Community Aid Network (London CAN) London CAN is a grassroots, volunteer-led initiative committed to supporting individuals and families facing hardship across the city. Our mission is to build a more compassionate and inclusive London by providing practical support, promoting community solidarity, and responding to the urgent needs of vulnerable populations. At the heart of our work is the belief that everyone deserves dignity, respect, and access to basic essentials—regardless of their background or circumstances. Food Distribution for Communities in Need One of our core programmes focuses on tackling food insecurity among low-income and marginalised communities. Every week, London CAN works with local partners, food banks, and volunteers to collect, prepare, and distribute fresh, nutritious meals and food parcels to those most in need—including rough sleepers, refugees, families in crisis, and elderly residents on low incomes. We understand that hunger is more than a lack of food—it’s a symptom of broader social inequality. That’s why our food support is designed not only to feed but to uplift. We offer culturally appropriate meals where possible, ensure our services are welcoming and respectful, and connect people with additional resources and support when needed.We are a newly established community initiative focused on providing free food support to individuals and families facing hardship. Operating via a mobile distribution system, we temporarily store food at a residential address before delivery. Our work is rooted in partnerships with local community groups, faith organisations, and schools who help us identify those most in need. A referral system through trusted local partners will be introduced to ensure support is accessible and well-directed. At this early stage, our sole focus is on distributing food parcels. As we grow and secure more resources, we hope to expand our services to include hygiene packs, signposting to additional support, and community outreach events. All services are provided completely free of charge. We are currently applying to join food surplus networks and aim to establish relationships with local supermarkets and food retailers as our operations develop. While we have not yet received local press coverage or launched our social media activity, we plan to actively engage the community and share updates once our food distribution begins. We are also in the process of building relationships with local organisations and welcome future collaborations.

We feed more than 250 homeless people every week, as well as catering for vulnerable families with children. We organise soup kitchen, drop-in centres, women and children club, pension club. We hope to widen our project by hosting a dementia club for the residents.

The Food with Love Community Pantry is a community food club, run by and for its members offering good quality, healthy and nutritious food through low cost membership. In June this year (2022) Food with Love (FwL) launched a new and innovative service aimed to empower the residents of the London Borough of Hounslow. The FwL Community Pantry helps families living on the threshold to sustain their livelihoods whilst maintaining their self worth and dignity. We are a community resource; here for those who need us. Our main aim is to; - Support and strengthen the self-esteem of members - Increase self-reliance and resilience - Reduce reliance on food banks. Each member makes a small contribution towards the cost of the food they choose during their weekly visit to the Pantry. To ensure that essential staples are always available the Pantry reinvests all of its member’s fees to buying stock. One of the ethos of FwL is to help decrease the amount of food that is needlessly sent to landfill each year. FwL collects and redistributes surplus stock from supermarkets and food manufacturers within the London Borough of Hounslow. The nature of suppliers means that the supplies are varied every week.