Sainsbury's Preston Fishergate Local

- Education/training - The prevention or relief of poverty - Overseas aid/famine relief - Religious activities - Children/young people - Elderly/old people - People with disabilities - Other charities or voluntary bodies - The general public/mankind - Makes grants to individuals - Makes grants to organisations - Provides human resources - Provides buildings/facilities/open space - Provides services - Provides advocacy/advice/information - Other charitable activities Foodbank

The British Red Cross is the single biggest provider of support to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. Fleeing your home and arriving in a new country is a traumatic experience. Our Refugee Service supports vulnerable refugee and asylum-seeking individuals and families as they settle into their new lives here in Lancashire. However, once they are here, many families who fled one extraordinary situation find themselves facing another: destitution. Our Preston Refugee Hub is open to refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants in the Preston area. We offer a welcome environment where service users can get a free hot meal in a social space. We are able to provide emergency provisions for those that are in destitute situations, as well as access to English language lessons and caseworkers who are able signpost vital information on health services, housing advice, faith organisations and local leisure facilities. Our overall aim is to support individuals and families with adapting to life in a new country. With the current humanitarian crisis across Europe and the Middle East, more families than ever before are approaching the Red Cross for help. This year alone, the number of people in need of our help has increased by a staggering 50%, which is only set to increase as more families arrive in Lancashire from Syria and other countries torn apart by conflict.

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?"