Sainsbury's London Great Suffolk St Local

We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry. That’s why we provide three days’ nutritionally-balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis. We are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK. Throughout the Covid crisis we have seen a doubling in demand for food parcels partly due to the collapse in the hospitality sector and the high level of redundancies. We are seeing more families. We are part of a coordinated effort by Southwark Council that has developed over this year in response to this crisis. Your support is needed more than ever and we are very grateful for the public's generosity. We are hosted by Pecan, a charity based in Peckham, that brings hope through helping people find work and overcome barriers to employment.

The focus of our work remains on reducing health inequalities and on preventing and minimising risks to both physical and mental health. We work in the community with local women to overcome barriers and make healthy living and good mental wellbeing an integral part of everyday life. Access to nutritious and culturally appropriate food has become central to our work since the start of the pandemic and has grown as a response to the current cost of living crisis which has affected many members of our community. Through the establishment of the FRIDGE project, our intention is to continue our work in helping to tackle health inequalities by focusing on food accessibility for those families feeling increased emotional, social, and financial vulnerability. The FRIDGE project focuses on tackling food poverty, food waste, and social isolation in ways that are more dignified and empowering than the traditional food bank model. The fridge project gives FREE fresh fruit, veg, and other fridge items to anyone who needs support in accessing good food. Offering fresh surplus food donated by The Felix Project, local businesses, and members of our community the fridge aims to support people to save money, access healthy food, and reduce waste; helping people and the planet. To provide accessibility for all, the fridge will run on a ‘take what you need, leave what you can’ basis, encouraging mutual support in the community.