Lidl London Mottingham

The community centre is based on Middle Park estate, a local authority housing estate in Eltham. The centre is often referred to as the heart of the community. Our day starts at 7am when we open to provide breakfast for some 60 + children and young people. Children have a healthy, nutritious breakfast that helps to set them up for their school day. We collect children from school, they have the opportunity to do their homework, take part in activities and are given a hot meal. When the children go to school there are a wide range of activities for older people, we have a community café serving hot food four days a week. Older people are able to meet up and take part in activities, this helps combat loneliness. People are able to access a wide range of information and support at the centre, or just a cup of tea and a chat when it’s needed.

We are a non- Profit organisation and our purpose is to provide accommodation and services for vulnerable people who cannot meet their housing needs through the market, because of their incomes or other barriers associated with age, homelessness, disability or health. Our supported housing services combine accommodation with support. They are designed to meet the needs of particular groups, such as people with mental health issues, learning or physical disabilities, addiction issues, people at risk of domestic violence, teenage parents or ex-offenders. Our wider vision is to seek to support the livelihoods of our customers and the communities they live in. This is reflected in our branding where we remain committed to our long-standing strapline: Transforming lives, revitalising neighbourhoods. Our core values are we care, we are inclusive and we are trusted. Our scheme is designed to help people acquire the emotional and practical skills needed to move on into more mainstream housing. The support we give to people depends on their needs. It can include: - Access to treatment services for alcohol, drug or health problems. - Help with getting benefits. - Developing independent living skills, such as budgeting and cooking. - Increasing physical and mental wellbeing, including the ability to cope in a crisis. - Encouragement to reconnect with family and friends, or develop new social networks. - Assistance in taking up education, training and employment opportunities. We provide support services for customers in our scheme to manage their recovery from substance misuse and addiction. Core to the delivery of our great services, is the development of our psychologically informed environments and services, This approach: - Increases positive behaviour by increasing self-worth, esteem, belief and hope. - Reducing challenging or aggressive conduct. - Ensures customers stay in our support longer by reducing abandonments and evictions. - Achieves the most positive outcome for each person as they identify their own goal or ambition, and direct how they would like to use our support in order to achieve that outcome. - At the project, among the services we provide, we support the homeless customers to acquire life skills before they move into independent living; those life skills among others include cooking. At the moment we are lacking food items to provide that service. The food donation will help us achieve that support need. When our customers are able to cook for them selves, this will stop them from going on the streets to beg for food and cause anti-social. - Furthermore, the cooking sessions help the customers come together and socialise; this stops them from being socially isolated. Social isolation worsens their mental health issues. The food donation will help us minimise such issues.

We run a weekly foodbank out of the WG Grace community centre at Grove Park. It is open Wednesdays 10am - 11am. This will be staffed by volunteers and the ChART Cic. Our food bank will provide an important resource for the local community . By offering a range of resources and advice on our food bank days. We will be able to support the health and well-being of individuals and families. We know that within the Chinbrook area there is a higher number of people unemployed and only 34% are in full time employment. 24% of children are living in poverty. 19% of people live with a life limiting illness . Supporting those in need with immediate food support and with advice will help people manage their difficulties and to move forward. What we require is a constant supply of food both ambient and perishable to help us help our community.