Sainsbury's Liverpool Local

Hello! We are a Welcome Centre for Refugees in Liverpool. We provide casework, clothes, English class, fun, games, community - hot food and much more

Hope Community fridge aims to provide affordable food shops to those in our community (a bag of shopping for a £3.50 donation). We have a shop set up in our church building, where people are welcomed to enjoy refreshments in a warm space before/after doing their shop. We would love to build relationships with those in our local area, and have various other projects and courses available at different times, including parenting courses, money management, a toddler group and life groups. The Fridge is accessible to anyone, advertised by flyers, door knocking in the area, through local schools, work of mouth, and connections with other pantries which are oversubscribed nearby. Obviously other activities with in the church are for more specific groups and some for anyone in need, ie, toddler group/parenting courses for families; money management available to any contacts made. Our facebook page shows other connections we have in the community - over spring/summer last year we did regular litter picking, and transformed a waste ground into a community garden. Local councillors have been supportive of these projects. As a team, we only begun this work approximately 20 months ago, so this is just the beginning and we have a vision for more in the future. We aren’t currently linked to any other retailers for donations for our Community Fridge. We have links with Liverpool City Mission charity who provide us with surplus donations where possible, and source all other food ourselves. Donations would provide this project with longevity, and the ability to support more households in our area, particularly through this time where some are choosing whether to eat or heat their homes. Thank you for any support you are able to offer.

Compassion Acts supports adults and children facing hardship by providing emergency food through Southport Foodbank, in line with The Trussell guidelines. Alongside this, we run Food Pantries, a Community Market and offer benefits advice, including advocacy and support at benefit tribunals. Our projects are delivered across the North Sefton area. While the Foodbank provides vital emergency assistance for people in crisis, its support is designed to be short term. Many families and individuals continue to struggle once the immediate crisis has passed. Our Food Pantry helps bridge that gap by offering members the opportunity to shop for around £30 worth of groceries each week for just £5, choosing the items that best suit their household. Val turned to Compassion Acts after facing a long wait for her benefits. Referred first to the Foodbank and then to the Food Pantry, she found more than just practical support. "I was full of panic and anxiety, wondering how I was going to cope if I ended up on the street. The volunteers at the Food Pantry were lovely. It gave me back my confidence and self-esteem. Without going there and meeting people, who knows what could have happened?"