Getir Norbury

We are a charity organisation: Dominion House international (Dominion Gospel Church). We have a food bank called Joseph's Storehouse, serving people in need in Thornton Heath and its surrounding area with food and toiletries. This can be found at 280 Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 7JE. It started 3 years ago to support our church members and the elderly among the church in home delivery form. During the pandemic it has been extended to the community, who are able to come to us to collect or to request delivery if they are unable to come in. Presently, we have about 40 to 50 people we serve every week and the turn up is increasing weekly. Currently, the church and some of its members are funding Joseph's Storehouse but it is not enough to cater for the turn up every week. We would be very grateful if you and your team could help/support this food bank, we do not want to stop as the people we serve depend on the food bank for their daily provisions. I came across your organisation's great work in supporting charity organisations like ours in Croydon and its surrounding areas. I am not sure if we are eligible but we would be very grateful if your organisation could support us so that together we can build a better Croydon. image.png

This project supports the fantastic work that Palmer House does for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. I have been collecting food for this purpose for some ten years! Based in Croydon, Palmer House supports 60 single people up to 65 years of age with complex needs including experience of homelessness or rough sleeping, substance misuse and mental ill health. Customers are referred to Palmer House by the London Borough of Croydon and stay up to two years. The charity empowers them to make decisions about their support, including choosing their Support Worker. This person centred approach enables customers to identify their existing strengths and skills so they can achieve their goals and aspirations. The team at Palmer House believes customers can move beyond their current support needs and achieve their full potential by developing new skills and accessing opportunities. Whilst at Palmer House, customers engage in developing life and independent living skills including developing routine and structure, fostering positive relationships, healthy eating and cooking.

Each week we collect excess fresh food from local supermarkets, including Waitrose, Tesco, Aldi and M&S Food. This is usually food that is approaching its shelf-life and cannot be sold. Every Saturday afternoon we distribute this healthy food to local families and individuals in Croydon from our distribution point in Thornton Heath. We take referrals from Social Services, schools, family centres and medical centres. We also accept self-referrals from clients who can demonstrate they are on benefits, low income or otherwise in need. Our aim is to enable disadvantaged people and families to maintain a healthy diet while on a low income or no income at all. We also increase awareness of the problem of plastic pollution by encouraging clients to bring their own bags, by giving out re-cyclable bags ourselves and by distributing as much food as possible without plastic packaging.