B&Q Halifax

The Halifax Community Fridge, is open daily enabling residents and businesses to share surplus food and for anyone to help themselves to quality food that would otherwise be wasted. Unlike food banks, the Halifax Community Fridge is not means-tested - it is available to anyone. It is also discreetly situated and avoids any stigma its users may otherwise feel. The Halifax Community Fridge launched in August 2020, and has remained open every-single-day since. We are open 365-days-a-year, and are a lifeline for up to 100 families each day. No questions are asked, everyone is welcome. Working alongside Neighbourly has enabled us to support our towns local supermarkets in drastically reducing their carbon footprint and food wastage, which in-turn has stopped our community from going to sleep hungry. The work of the Halifax Community Fridge extends beyond free food and drink, everything we do is free to the community that we love to serve. We offer free winter coats, free sanitary packs for females, free pet food to owners and pets in need, free household items to support families in need and so much more We feature regularly in local and national media, showing the incredible work of the community fridge project and how it has brought our community together. In doing so, we have redistributed millions of items of food and drink back into our local community. Our work is spreading across the U.K., in supporting other Mosques and organisations in setting-up their own community fridges and serve their diverse communities, we are in the process of supporting around 20 organisations to support different communities across the country, examples are provided: Birmingham Community Fridge: https://www.neighbourly.com/project/67aa5fc339570a98e11db096 JTI Community Fridge: https://www.neighbourly.com/project/658465f445476114d40756b2 Keighley Community Fridge: https://www.neighbourly.com/project/6783c6ef823a3f527caa5fd1 Ashton Community Fridge: https://www.neighbourly.com/project/66df7367c6579d8b4c3cce1a Here’s some recent links from the media regarding our work: https://www.calderdalechildcare.org.uk/kb5/calderdale/fsd/service.page?id=aeQeVWscSc8 https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/people/award-for-halifax-mosque-project-which-is-a-lifeline-for-towns-most-vulnerable-4886288 https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/people/halifax-community-fridge-national-award-for-halifax-pharmacist-hero-who-goes-above-and-beyond-4285769 https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/people/halifax-community-fridge-the-selfless-volunteers-who-have-been-out-every-day-for-1000-days-feeding-halifaxs-hungry-4123860 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-leeds-56201351 https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/free-food-fridge-halifax-bringing-20600051.amp

We are a dedicated team, and are all experienced in delivering care to service users facilitating Hospital Discharge and community referrals. We work to the highest standards and like to go the extra mile for the people for whom we provide care. The team is looking to find ways in which we can go that step further to support our service users in times of need, especially when it comes to help and assistance with buying food, amenities. We have been proactive and because of past experiences were service users have run out of money and have had no food, the team now has a small food bank with emergency stock we can use in the short term to help those experiencing difficulties and unable to buy necessary amenities. We actively support the Vulnerable of Calderdale and Deliver unwanted food from supermarkets, including Marks and Spencer’s, and Lidl. The project is run by a single person, Rhea, who has support from her family and friends to run this, operated out of her own home. We have service users who are 18+ with all different needs, we also have families out in the community who we support as and when needed. There is no charge for our support. We haven’t had any local press, but working as part of a council Rhea and her mum makes this known who we are and what we do. In the run up to winter we have individuals in which we work with who support us with donations for our stock. Our foodbank has been so helpful around the community, the toy bank donation in which we receive at Christmas time made so many children’s Christmas. We work closely with a social worker within the council who had many families who are in need and don’t know where to turn. We do not charge for our services - this is a free service, we distribute the surplus free of charge, which includes food e.g dry goods, toiletries such as soap, sponges etc, and from the Lidl toy bank around Christmas time, we get donations of toys. A reference from a social worker which we support often for individuals in which they are supporting is ‘ Hello Rhea/Tracey Thank you again for the food parcels you have kindly donated to Children’s Social Care over the past years, as well as the Christmas present donations. We greatly appreciate all your support and contributions for the children and families we work with who are in need of this help. Your generosity has made a real difference, providing essentials during difficult times, bringing joy to children at Christmas, and helping families feel supported and valued. Because of contributions like yours, we’ve been able to ensure that vulnerable families have access to food and gifts that they otherwise might have gone without. This has a huge positive impact on their wellbeing and sense of community. Warm regards, Natalie P’

At our Rochdale Hub, anyone in need can access free meals, hot drinks, showers, clean clothes, laundry facilities, and essential personal care items. In a typical year, our Hub sees close to 24,000 visits. Support often includes: - Rough sleeping support - around 185 instances of help for people sleeping on the streets - Housing advice and referrals - more than 1,300 sessions helping people move towards safe, stable accommodation - Meals and food support - over 14,800 meals, plus almost 1,500 food vouchers and more than 400 food parcels - Essential care - more than 1,100 showers, over 1,000 toiletries, 600 uses of our washing machines, and more than 1,500 items of clothing Beyond the Hub, we provide supported housing for over 200 residents, helping people build life skills, manage tenancies, and overcome the challenges that have shaped their lives. To support wellbeing and connection, we run inclusive social groups and nature‑based activities at our community allotment, PIER, where people can grow, learn, heal, and reconnect with others. Community partnerships, like our Changing Lives FC football sessions with Rochdale AFC, help people to keep healthy, grow in confidence and find opportunities for recovery and skills development. Together, we will end homelessness and create safe places where all people can flourish.