M&S Hatfield Oldings Corner

Community led charity with a focus on social cohesion. Providing food aid to 600 people every week, baby items, educational intervention, free sport activities for youth and financial support for disadvantaged families across St Albans, London Colney, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City. SACP holds a food hygiene rating of 5 at our unit with fridges/freezers/storage space in AL3 6EN. We have 50+ volunteers who between them hold food handling/hygiene certificates and are DBS checked. Food parcels are packed at the unit and delivered to doorsteps where needed or ppl collect from the unit. The service is free of charge and all volunteers are unpaid. We support 600ppl a week with fresh produce boxes. Referrals are made by other local organisations and authorities including schools, health visitors, family/social workers, Refugee Council, St Albans Old People’s Trust, Druglink, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, residents’ associations and more. Read more about our work in the press here: https://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/can-you-help-food-parcels-fundraiser-6903930 https://www.hertsad.co.uk/things-to-do/abbey-theatre-helps-sopwell-foodbank-6913492 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-56029947 We are in particular need of fresh produce including eggs/milk/fruit/vegetables.

The Hertford Pantry has been set up to provide fresh and ambient food to local residents. The fresh food will be donated by local supermarkets and will be given to anyone who wants it. This help people struggling to make ends meet and prevents food waste. The second stream of ambient food will be bought with money from grants and fund raising. This food will be provided to people who declare they need it. There is no formal criteria. We will also provide food and recipes bagged ready for families who are in urgent need. The pantry will open Monday 1-2pm, Wednesday 1.30-2.30pm and Saturday 11-12 noon. The Saturday session is to enable those who are working to access the food.

The Craft Room is dedicated to sparking children's imaginations through free arts and crafts sessions. During school holidays and half terms, we offer exciting craft camps. These action-packed camps run for 4 hours and are packed with fun: Creative Crafts: We explore a variety of engaging arts and crafts projects, keeping young minds curious and hands-on. Active Play: We get moving with an hour of energetic physical activities, promoting a healthy balance. Nourishing Meals: A delicious hot meal is provided, along with education on healthy eating habits and tasty snacks, fuelling young bodies and minds. Our camps are completely free for children who qualify for income-related free school meals. This program is designed to support children who would benefit most from these enriching experiences. Our camps extends children's learning beyond the classroom with focused craft activities and the chance to use specialized equipment, giving children experiences they wouldn't typically find in school we want to spark their curiosity and innovate. Craft Activities we have provided so far: Diamond Painting Fimo Clay Sculpting Wooden Structures Assembling and Decorating Log Ring Wall Décor String Painting Decoupage Animal Objects Pom Pom Crafts Rock Painting Planting Sunflowers and much more.