ALDI SOUTH NORWOOD

We are a charity organisation: Dominion House international (Dominion Gospel Church). We have a food bank called Joseph's Storehouse, serving people in need in Thornton Heath and its surrounding area with food and toiletries. This can be found at 280 Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 7JE. It started 3 years ago to support our church members and the elderly among the church in home delivery form. During the pandemic it has been extended to the community, who are able to come to us to collect or to request delivery if they are unable to come in. Presently, we have about 40 to 50 people we serve every week and the turn up is increasing weekly. Currently, the church and some of its members are funding Joseph's Storehouse but it is not enough to cater for the turn up every week. We would be very grateful if you and your team could help/support this food bank, we do not want to stop as the people we serve depend on the food bank for their daily provisions. I came across your organisation's great work in supporting charity organisations like ours in Croydon and its surrounding areas. I am not sure if we are eligible but we would be very grateful if your organisation could support us so that together we can build a better Croydon. image.png

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.

Our team of Housing Support Officers (HSO) provide each service user with 2 – 5 hours of support per week. At the initial meeting, the service user and HSO work together to complete a support plan, setting out objectives that the service user works towards. Goals are monitored using the Homelessness Outcome Star which measures progress in 10 key areas, such as the ability to manage money, physical and mental health and coping with difficult social situations. The Foundation provides in-house support services such as specialist counselling and welfare benefits advice. The team also refer service users to other specialist external organisations for complex health care, debt advice, legal advice, voluntary and employment opportunities. As well as providing tenancy support to vulnerable Caridon tenants, the Caridon Foundation accepts referrals from the Council’s Single Homelessness Service. More than 80% of our referrals have complex mental health needs and a further 40% have difficulties with drugs and alcohol. We also house ex-offenders, women fleeing domestic violence and victims of Modern-Day Slavery. As a result, there is a need for us to provide individuals with a truly holistic and tailor-made support service. The cycle of CF Service users stay with our organisation for between 6 months and 2 years, until they are ready for fully independent living. At this point our in-house resettlement officer will make referrals back to the local authority (Fast Track) for permanent affordable social housing. We also have the option of placing our clients into private rented accommodation through Caridon Property. Tenants with high support needs or chronic health conditions will be supported into 24 hour staffed accommodation or sheltered housing.