M&S Crossrail

Urban Unity Food Bank is a grassroots initiative run by a passionate team of local volunteers at The Old Surgery Community Centre. We are committed to supporting individuals and families in need by providing free food, seven days a week. We serve a diverse range of people in our local community. Including families with children, people on low incomes, those with special needs, and vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women, disabled residents, chemotherapy patients, and the housebound. We also deliver to those experiencing homelessness, local night shelters, after-school clubs, and other community centres. This includes retired Veterans of military service shelter, women's salvation army shelter, men's shelter, and a local soup kitchen for the homeless. We also have previous service users of our foodbank volunteering with us and giving back to the community, such as previously homeless people. As demand continues to grow, we are now facing challenges in meeting the needs of everyone who comes to us. More people are turning to us for help than we currently have food available, but we are determined to continue serving and expanding our reach. Who We Support and How We welcome people from all backgrounds, with no need for referrals, vouchers, or paperwork. Our volunteers, many of whom live locally, work directly with the community. Identifying and supporting those who need help. We offer compassionate, informal support and respect each person’s privacy. Whether someone needs regular food support, has dietary restrictions, or simply needs someone to talk to, we’re here to help. At its core, our food bank is about more than food, it’s about dignity, kindness, and community. We aim to bring people together, offer hope, and put a smile on someone’s face during a difficult time. More Than a Food Bank While our main focus is on rescuing surplus food and redistributing it, we also provide a range of other services to support people more holistically: Listening & Support Service – A safe, friendly space where volunteers offer a listening ear and emotional support. Holistic / Whole-Person Support – We assist people with wider challenges such as debt, housing issues, domestic abuse, mental health concerns, and isolation, by offering guidance or signposting to other support services. Everything We Do Is Free All of our services from food parcels to emotional support are completely free. We believe everyone should have access to food and care without barriers. How We Source Food We currently collect surplus food from local businesses through our partnership with Neighbourly. In addition, our volunteers carry out extra one-off collections whenever possible such as canteens in Canary Wharf's corporate banks. We are always open to building new partnerships with local businesses, suppliers, and organisations who share our mission and want to help reduce food waste while supporting those in need.

We are a three form entry primary school in East London, Leyton. We have both a school nursery and an all year daycare provision. We want to make our school the best possible place it can be for our children and families. We would like to develop areas including our playgrounds and gardens. We would like to develop more green spaces and get our children involved in the process. We also would like to support our families as much as possible through the 'cost of living crisis'. We would like to set up a food bank within our school and target families who need that support.

Are you looking for a way to actively help reduce food waste and food poverty? Come along and meet our fantastic team at the Felix Project. Our volunteers are at the forefront of our work, delivering, collecting and sorting surplus food to benefit charities across London. Despite living in one of the richest cities in the world, many Londoners struggle to feed themselves and their families properly. The problem is that making sure everyone gets a proper meal is expensive. And yet hundreds of tonnes of surplus food are thrown away in our city every day, even though there’s nothing wrong with it. At the Felix Project we want to see good food go to good causes. Our cause commemorates a compassionate boy named Felix who noticed the injustice of food poverty at a football tournament, when he was upset to discover that almost none of the opposing team of 10-year-old boys from South London had eaten anything that day. Our mission is simple - to collect that surplus food from food suppliers and distribute it to charities in their local area. So far, we work with 23 charities feeding 420 Londeners every week! These amazing charities turn the donations into healthy meals for their clients, including homeless people, the elderly, those with mental health issues, sufferers of domestic violence, and other at risk or vulnerable groups. Here's how it works. We collect edible surplus food that supermarkets and wholesalers are unable to sell. Our friendly and energetic volunteer team sorts through the donations to make sure they are good quality. Once we're happy with the food, we distribute it across our local communities to charities that feed the most vulnerable groups in our society. This surplus would otherwise go to landfill or anaerobic digestion - we harness its potential to bring nourishment and energy to people who need it most. What's more, the food donations save the charities money that can go towards their important work. We'd love you to sign up to one of our volunteer events! With your help, we'll continue diverting food from going to waste and supplementing healthy meals that bring strength and inspire change within our city's communities.