Esther Community Enterprise
Croydon, UK
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
What we've received
Meals1,191,704
Non-food (tonnes)14.08
Volunteering (hrs)Volunteering (hours)6
Money£400
Salem Academy Of Music
London, UK
- Education/training
- Children/young people
- Provides services
Based in Peckham, South East London, we are an after-school music training hub.
Salem was established in 2004 to make instrument music training accessible and affordable to young people (YP), especially but not exclusively, to those from disadvantaged, underprivileged, and underrepresented.
We also provide a haven for YP to interact, socialise, discuss different social topics, and have a healthy meal. We give planned mental health training with professional practitioners.
Classical, Jazz, and Praise music are purposely chosen as our repertoire, as they are particularly effective in lowering stress and anxiety levels in YP. As YP play and listen to these genres of music over the years, it helps them become more focussed and therefore more productive. Through our regular ABRSM exams, we help our learners build points towards entrance into grammar and boarding schools. Our intermediate and higher grades exams help build UCAS points towards university placements. Over 97% of our learners end up going to university. Some of our past learners have played with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Chineke Orchestra. Some have studied music at universities and now have full-time careers in music.
We start our trainees from as young as seven years old and many stay with us until they leave for university. Some return after university to either help out voluntarily, or continue their own personal development.
We collect surplus food donations from various outlets. Some are cooked on-site and given as meals to our pupils/learners, parents, teachers, volunteers, and the local community. Others are taken home by the same groups of people. Volunteers do all our food collections, cooking, feeding, and distribution. We do not charge for food consumed on the premises or taken away. No foods are resold.
What we've received
Meals103,995
Non-food (tonnes)1.11
Money£250
Pecan Pantry Peckham
London, UK
Pecan is a community charity based in Southwark, working in this and neighbouring boroughs. We support local people who are unemployed, isolated, ex-offenders, or affected by benefit changes or low income, and empower women facing multiple barriers. Services include employment programmes, training, one-to-one support, coaching, food programmes and community activities.
We have recently expanded to serve our community more and we are looking for more ways to fight hunger and food insecurity in Southwark and neighbouring areas. We have launched Peckham Pantry where community members can have access to healthy and affordable groceries as part of their weekly household shopping. We need your excess food supply to meet the needs of an increasing number of members.
See link below for more information.
What we've received
Meals79,385
Non-food (tonnes)0.91