Sainsbury's Alperton

With the levels of unemployment, along with the number of low-paid employees living in Brent, many residents find themselves at a crisis point. They are unable to feed their families and provide for life’s basic needs. There may, however, be many other challenges within the family, which may contribute to the family crisis. It is bearing this in mind that the Centre of Help and Hope was conceived. The Centre provides the following services: Food bank Clothing hub Befriending service Gardening services Counselling services Light domestic help Vocational skills Intentional parenting courses

(Food Pantry & SHAP Housing Project empowers vulnerable young adults aged 18–30 through our housing project and food pantry. We provide stable accommodation, essential food support, and mentoring to foster independence and build resilience. About Our Work & Who We Help: Registered as an independent charity (No. 1186029), we operate a dedicated community food pantry alongside our supported housing initiative. Our primary focus is delivering vital nutritional aid, safe accommodation, and life-skills development to young people aged 18–30, care leavers, and local families experiencing severe hardship. What Support We Need Most: To sustain our daily food distribution and support our housing project residents, our organisation relies heavily on consistent surplus food donations—particularly ambient goods, fresh produce, bakery items, and chilled essentials. Reliable access to quality surplus food allows us to reduce local waste while directly alleviating hunger and hardship for the young people and community members we support every week.

When people walk into our two centres it's often because poverty, social exclusion and marginalisation has left them nowhere else to go. The principal objectives of the charity are: Provide an open-door facility that welcomes people in need without any requirements for payment or the provision of personal information ensuring that anyone can benefit from the charity’s services and feel that their privacy is respected and that they are safe. They might be sleeping rough, or have been evicted, or are sofa surfing or are just hungry. By offering them a free hot meal and a kind word without any judgment, we can set them on a path to getting help from us or other agencies. It might be as simple as food, a shower and a change of clothes to begin with. We can also help them with other needs, like seeing a doctor or a lawyer, advice on housing or benefits, general health services, counselling and referral services to help with alcohol and drug dependencies. Most of all, in a society that mostly shuns the destitute, we offer human contact and warmth to the lonely and desperate people who come to us. The following extracts are copied directly from our most recent annual report year end 31st March 2025. Link to full report https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1058819/accounts-and-annual-returns?_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_organisationNumber=1058819 The following services are provided for our clients from two centres on five days each week from 8 AM to 6 PM At Emmaus House Hot lunch at midday 41,000 for year Distribution of clothing 3250 requests for year - 12000 items clothing and 230 household items Hot showers and hairdressing facilities 550 for year (showers not available for part of year) Health checks and testing (Regular checks for HIV, Hepatitis C, Diabetes, High Blood pressure) Provided by partners. 250 for year Mailbox facility Exclusive Women's and Children’ day once a week 1702 visit for year Access to Optician and Dentist on request Guidance and crisis counselling (provided by staff): 818 for year including 420 Rough Sleepers Advice and advocacy on housing issues Advice on emergency hostel accommodation Alcohol and drug counselling Benefits advice and assistance with online application and appeals. At The Damien Centre Breakfast and tea, coffee and sandwiches throughout the day Opportunity to socialise and interact with peers, volunteers and staff. A safe environment to rest and relax throughout the day. Advice and referral to Emmaus House services when required. Alcohol and drug counselling clinic providing access to advice and counselling on an informal basis (provided by partners) 15174 visit for year (meals and drinks provided) Founded in 1989. All of our services are free and always have been. Emmaus House 1 Berrymead Gardens London W3 8AA The Damien Centre 3-5 Church Road London W3 8PU