ALDI ARCHWAY

We are a two form entry primary school and large nursery based in Finsbury Park, London. We want to make our school the best possible place it can be for our children. We want to decorate areas and develop our gardens and playgrounds. We want to develop more green spaces and get children involved in doing so. We also want to support our community and families through the cost of living crisis. We have a food bank within school which is very well utilised by many of our families.

We run a surplus foodbank in Somers Town in the borough of Camden in London. All thanks to 50 local volunteers who help us to support 80 local households, 11 hostels, 1 after-school club and 1 church group. We are supporting just over 125 children now living in poverty. We do this by collecting surplus from 45 local stores every week and redistributing them in a timely manner all thanks to each volunteer commiting to a regular shift weekly/ alternate weeks. Collections are made by bicycle using hitch on/off trailers, by foot using hand carts and some volunteers use their cars for those big collections and drop-offs to big hostels. We also operate a 'Room of thing's where local households that we support can take anything they need from. Items are donated by local businesses and people. There isn't much we can't find a home for. In our small courtyard we also have a surplus cart where people passing by can take what they need. This is about supporting local people whilst also being a part of a circular reuse mode. Our volunteers support us with so much more, from helping local residents with their CVs, mentoring, sewing surplus food bags from textile waste, running a monthly free clothing swap and more. Our project is person centred, each volunteer has something meaningful to offer a local person; this is where community happens. We are just a team of 2 and are BAME-Led. Our work with Neighbourly is a key part to be able to support local people. You can find out more about the impact your support has on our beneficiaries on our website and you can visually see what our operation looks like on our instagram. We always need volunteers.

Looprun is a response division and part of an independent social enterprise. This is more than food and is part of a supportive services platform to help people get sustained in their own individual way. With up to 94% success rate and seeing once those receiving free Looprun response bags to returning to stores as shoppers with baskets full. These are the impact stories created when all come together to do good for good. Service users are signposted to Looprun mostly from referrals including professionals in social and healthcare. Looprun provides free non perishables, perishable food, toiletries, and brand new clothing to people facing a temporary challenge. Whatever supermarkets, stores, and retailers can do is turned into a grateful donation to a neighbour in need. This is a response to real people in real-time. No food is banked providing a direct in and out service. We believe if the food is stored then a person in need is not getting any food, hence we provide an instant response and instant impact service. Looprun has access to professional volunteers who carry out a confidential support service to people in need. From homeless shelters, hostels, sheltered housing, care homes, soup kitchens and schools. This is a non voucher, free and confidential service. This means Looprun can reach more people in need with food donations. Anyone that receives a Looprun bag of essential food items is sustained thus creating a loop cycle. All are invited to become part of these sustainable stories in your local community. For further information and gallery access on the impact of Looprun please visit: Website: https://www.looprun-sciv.online/