Sainsbury's Streatham Greyhound Lane Local

ln August 2007, ECE recieved a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of 300,000 members of the IYF (International Youth Fellowship) for our contribution to the UK branch. In September 2008, Esther Community Enterprise was awarded certificates from the Lord Mayor of Croydon, for having carried out 100 hours of volunteering activities. On the 2 June 2011, ECE was awarded with theQueens Award for Voluntary Service, MBE. This is the highest award given to voluntary groups in the United Kingdom, and as such, is equivalent in status to the MBE. This prestigious UK National Honour recognises outstanding voluntary contributions and sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged to be of the highest standard. We aim to meet those who have needs in the local community by redistribution of food and other consumables donated from retailers. ECE makes a worthwhile collective response to the 3 tenets of sustainable development, namely social, economical and environmental needs. ECE forms a consortium with other charities, faith groups, projects and organisations. We have over 70 Project Co-ordinators. They manage and help to distribute the food/groceries and clothing items within the local communities across the UK, on behalf of ECE. We have sustained our social enterprise through the goodwill and hard work of over 400 drivers and countless volunteers, who contribute their time, transportation and finance to this worthy cause. Near sell by date food is collected on a daily basis from a range of supermarkets and other retailers and diverted to those that need it most ECE feeds in excess of 40,000 people per week and this is steadily on the increase as we expand across the UK

We are a volunteer run group focused on reducing food waste and supporting local families in need. Our mission is simple: to make sure no one in our community goes hungry while tackling the growing problem of food surplus. Thanks to our partnerships with Neighbourly, Fareshare and Caboodle, we have benefited from strong relationships with local supermarkets and food providers—including M&S, Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Nando's, KFC, Co-op, Lidl, Aldi, Pret a Manger, and Gail’s Bakery—we rescue surplus food and redistribute it to those who need it most via personal contacts and our Partner Organisations. This gives us the ability to provide varied, nutritious food parcels at no cost to families and individuals facing food insecurity. In addition to fresh food collections, we also stock a community cupboard with ambient and non-perishable items, enabling members of our community to access support anonymously and with dignity. Our recipients are identified through word of mouth and referrals from local schools and community organisations. Each week, we supply the equivalent of 2250 meals to local families and indiviuals as well as primary schools and community groups - ensuring that anyone who needs food can access it easily. Together, we are building a stronger, more sustainable community where food is shared, not wasted.

The Divine Love Soup kitchen started in Oct 2020 during the pandemic to address the issue of hunger among homeless people and food poverty among people and the vulnerable in the community. We have been serving the community since then reaching out to the poor and the vulnerable that comes to us. We provide hot meals, drinks dry food, hygiene products, blankets, clothes and other things to the homeless and any in the community. We visit the house bound and supply food to hostel for the homeless and vulnerable women. We provide warmth, companionship, and the shared communal experience of dining with others, which can be especially valued by people such as homeless people, pensioners, widowers and the vulnerable. Our project helps to alleviate food poverty among poor members of the community near and far. What premises does your project operate from? Divine Love Soup Kitchen, English Martyrs Catholic church Hall, 2 Mitcham Lane SW16 6NN • Are there any other services provided by your organisation other than food support? We are catholic nuns we work in catholic churches as parish sisters and visit the sick in the community and give them consolation. • Is there a charge for the service(s) provided by your organisation? No, we do not charge any thing for the services provided. • Do you currently collect surplus food from any other retailers? Yes, we collect from COOP and Tesco • Has there been local press or similar that demonstrates your organisation's work in the local community? COOP advertised our work in all their stores when we join their Local community Fund program in 2022 and we got some fund from. We also received a big refrigerator from Lambeth council under their Lambeth Food Appliances and Equipment Fund in 2021 Recently we are having more people as statistics have shown that the numbers of homeless and very low income have increased considerably in the current economy. It provides an opportunity for the homeless to meet up and integrate with other members of the community. The project is an ongoing concern, and we are hoping to keep it sustained in the foreseeable future: We have served over 500 plates of food and seen over 250 people since we started in 2020. We started feeding 17 to 18 people in 2020 but today we see up to 30 to 40 people coming through the door every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month and would like to do every week if we get support. Our overall aim is to provide care and support to the many homeless and vulnerable people around Streatham and South west London by providing them with hot meals, hot drinks, hygiene product and advise about services available for them at our soup kitchen in Streatham during the weekend . We also distribute food to centres and hostels where they are needed. This is to promote the charitable work for the time being carried on, promoted or supported by the voluntary association of roman catholic women known as (the congregation) of the Daughters of Divine Love. •