ALDI BECKTON

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 E6-Sisters Community Pantry, located in the London Borough of Newham, is committed to fostering sustainability and empowerment within our community. We provide residents with weekly access to a pantry where they can choose their preferred food items, rather than receiving predetermined offerings. This empowers households, especially during crises, helping them regain control over their lives. Our pantry serves as a sanctuary, fostering a sense of stability and community ownership. By addressing food insecurity, we believe we can accelerate recovery, enabling residents to explore new opportunities. Our ethos promotes the transition from receiving help to thriving, bridging the gap between taking what is given and selecting what is needed. This approach minimizes waste and encourages fair sharing, ensuring that everyone has access to what they truly need.

World of Hope is committed to raising Youth Ambassadors that will become tomorrow's leaders through our mentoring, training, coaching, and citizenship programmes which will equip them to positively impact their communities. World of Hope has a food bank that distributes food to families with no recourse to public funds, refuge, unemployed and those affected by Covid. We support young people to break the circle of crime. We also provide food for elderly and lonely people in Lewisham, Greenwich, Southwark and Bexley boroughs. We partner with the police, social services and youth offending services. World of Hope has been in operation since 2005. We have been running the Youth Centre for our Youth Academy in Abbeywood since 2008. During the first lockdown the Youth Academy had to close and we had a lot of parents phoning us reporting a lack of food. This was because a lot of workplaces had to close so parents weren’t earning money so couldn’t afford food. We started contacting stores and individuals for food, then created the foodbank. Our food distribution was broadcasted by the BBC during the Covid outbreak in April 2021 which exposed our excellent work and led to a huge increase in demand for our foodbank. We are supported by Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency, Morrisons, Tesco and FareShare. We’re experiencing greater and greater demand for our services, especially food. We identify the needs of the people in the community by assessing their income and status. People do not like to beg for food but when they have no choice they come to us and we provide them with adequate and healthy food stuff that give them Hope. Now they come to Hope up about their mental health issues, housing and children challenges. We don’t charge for our foodbank services. World of Hope received Mayor Award in Lewisham Council in 2020, we also received Mayor Award in 2021 from Royal B. Greenwich; we were nominated by my Councillor Anne Marie- Cousins.