Food with Love Community Pantry
Isleworth, UK
The Food with Love Community Pantry is a community food club, run by and for its members offering good quality, healthy and nutritious food through low cost membership.
In June this year (2022) Food with Love (FwL) launched a new and innovative service aimed to empower the residents of the London Borough of Hounslow.
The FwL Community Pantry helps families living on the threshold to sustain their livelihoods whilst maintaining their self worth and dignity.
We are a community resource; here for those who need us. Our main aim is to;
- Support and strengthen the self-esteem of members
- Increase self-reliance and resilience
- Reduce reliance on food banks.
Each member makes a small contribution towards the cost of the food they choose during their weekly visit to the Pantry. To ensure that essential staples are always available the Pantry reinvests all of its member’s fees to buying stock.
One of the ethos of FwL is to help decrease the amount of food that is needlessly sent to landfill each year. FwL collects and redistributes surplus stock from supermarkets and food manufacturers within the London Borough of Hounslow. The nature of suppliers means that the supplies are varied every week.
What we've received
Meals645,785
Non-food (tonnes)9.79
Money£400
Acton Homeless Concern
London, UK
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
What we've received
Meals50,766
Non-food (tonnes)1.10
Money£500
The Real Junk Food Project Twickenham
Twickenham, UK
At The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP), we collect surplus food and turn it into delicious warm meals that we serve in our Community cafes across the Borough. Food that we don’t use in our cooking is available for our guests to take away with them.
Our aim is to feed bellies not bins, and everyone is welcome at TRJFP, particularly those experiencing food poverty, cost of living anxiety or a sense of social isolation.
Operating since 2018, we now run 9 different sessions at 6 venues every week across the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, all on a ‘Pay as you Feel’ basis. Our team of 100 brilliant volunteers currently provide around 800 meals every week for our guests. Some of our sessions offer a food surplus hub and cafe, others just a surplus hub.
Our venues are ETNA Community Centre in East Twickenham, the Cambrian Centre in Richmond, Linden Hall in Hampton, outside Noble Wines in Hampton Hill, Ham Youth Centre, and Achieving for Children in Ham. Details on what we offer at each venue and when we are open at www.trjfp-twickenham.com
Our aim is to create friendly spaces where our guests come together over food to enjoy time together, making new friends or meeting with old ones. We are strong believers that feeling connected to others helps strengthen community spirit, fosters a sense of belonging and builds collective positivity. Our recent guest survey shows us that 88% of our visitors feel that coming to the Project helps them feel more connected to others in their community, and 75% feel a reduction in the food related stress they experience.
"It’s good because you go there, you chat to people and they’re very helpful…. the people [volunteers] are friendly and, and it helps a lot with a few bits, you know. It does. Otherwise, it would cost you much more. I mean you go there; you pick up a few stuffs and...it helps a lot, you know"
“…Incredible cooking. Feel loved, they make us feel at home, like a family. All of them look after this project like they are hosting in their own homes.”
As a Project we are reliant on donations and grants to operate. On average, each meal we provide costs around £3.00 (which is made up of food transport and storage costs, venue rent, utility costs, food packaging, operating overheads etc). Our ambition is to continue to expand our offering, supporting every resident in the Borough who might need us. We rely on the generosity of others to be able to do so. Thank you to everyone who has supported TRJFP on our journey to date.
What we've received
Meals304,645
Non-food (tonnes)5.49
Money£400