GAIL's Bakery Willesden Green

This Foodbank is run by volunteers for anyone in need. We give our food and personal items. We open on Tuesdays and Fridays and on the first and third Saturday of each month. We have helped approximately 1400 times since opening in the first lockdown in 2020. We give out long life food and fresh food if we have it.

- General charitable purposes - Education/training - Religious activities - Children/young people - Elderly/old people - People of a particular ethnic or racial origin - The general public/mankind - Provides buildings/facilities/open space - Acts as an umbrella or resource body

MCWG is a thriving charity organised by local people for the local people, a community-based charity providing a grass-root service for each individual household since 1995. We work closely with disadvantaged young people and families from a variety of backgrounds aged between 5-60 years old. Our work caters for those who are living and working in one of the most deprived areas in London. Many of our beneficiaries are from low-income families, single parent who struggle to access mainstream services and educational support. Isolation, loneliness, mental health, DV, financial constraints and lack of physical activity are some of the issues we deal with. We work with young people to build their self-esteem and sense of achievement and provide a safe and supportive environment to keep them away from risk of engaging in criminality, drugs and anti-social behaviour. We support most vulnerable women those who require advice with training; courses; Job search, volunteering, digital literacy, and empower them through educational workshops around managing money, welfare, mental resilience and help them access to services available, days out, sports and fitness activities. The aim is to help them build resilience, empower them with life skills and be the best of themselves. The project is to help young people with cost of living through food support (food parcels that contains essentials), educational workshops and skills training. The need was identified during our weekly youth clubs for boys and girls. Our young people are from families facing challenges including: domestic violence, divorce and separation, mental health concerns, low income, those diagnosed with ADHD and autism, poor housing, anxiety, depression and isolation. These challenges have been exacerbated by the recent pandemic, lockdowns and cost of living crisis. Many of our beneficiaries are at a higher risk of engaging in criminality, drug abuse and anti-social behaviour. Our aim is to keep them safe and help them to cope with the ordinary and extraordinary challenges in life, recognise their strengths and develop their internal resources enabling them to respond more constructively and confidently to difficulties, reduce their stigma about food and improve knowledge of access to services available in the community such as grants available to help with transport, school uniforms. The need has been identified during the weekly youth clubs by service users as well as by parents during the coffee mornings. The charity is planning to distribute food parcels weekly and in parallel provides bi-weekly workshops/ trainings. The workshops and skills training will be around financial and health literacy, stress management, mental resilience, confidence and self-esteem, basic employment skills as well as boosting parents' skills to become agents of their own changes