Support Our Foodbank this Christmas

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As demand grows for help from families struggling to cope in winter

 

Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank is asking local residents for their support helping people struggling to keep fed and warm this winter.

The need is growing in our borough with nearly 700 more people seeking help compared to the last financial year.

The rise has been sparked by government changes to benefits, among other pressures.

Winter can be a stressful time for families, especially during the Christmas holidays, when children are unable to get free school meals and are no longer in their warm classrooms during the day.

The items the foodbank is most of need of at the moment are:

 

• Tinned fruit and vegetables
• Long life juice
• UHT and powdered milk
• Tinned rice pudding and other desserts
• Tinned meat
• Sugar
• Pasta sauce in jars
• Toiletries

There are collection points across the borough, including Hammersmith Town Hall, libraries, supermarkets and Fulham Broadway Shopping Centre.

"With the final roll-out of Universal Credit, new benefits caps, and the cold weather setting in, more people are being faced with stark choices between heating or eating," says Daphine Aikens, CEO of H&F Foodbank.

"In recent months we have seen a dramatic increase in numbers of people benefiting from our food parcels – with almost 700 more men, woman and children benefiting during this financial year than during the same period last year."

Cllr Sue Fennimore, H&F Cabinet member for Social Inclusion, is urging residents to get into the festive spirit this Christmas and add a few extra essentials to their shopping lists.

"We’re working with H&F Foodbank and other charities towards a day when residents no longer need foodbanks," she says.

"Until then, it’s vital that we support H&F Foodbank. Just small donations can make all the difference for families struggling this winter."

For more details, or if you would prefer to make a cash donation to the Foodbank, click here or call 020 7731 3693 or email: info@hammersmithfulham.foodbank.org.uk.

To receive a food package from H&F Foodbank people need a voucher which can picked up from a range of different organisations, including social workers, GPs, the Citizens Advice Bureau and Children’s centres.

The charity has three centres, each in a different part of borough

White City Distribution Centre, The Hub @ 75 is at 75 Bloemfontein Road, White City W12 7DA. It is open every week on Mondays, 12.30pm - 3pm; Wednesdays, 10am - 12pm and Saturdays, 10am - 12.pm.

Fulham Distribution Centre, Christ Church Fulham, 67 Studdridge Street, Fulham, SW6 3TD. It is open every week on Tuesday from 10.30am to 1pm and Friday from 2pm to 4.30pm.

Shepherd's Bush Distribution Centre, St Simons, Rockley Road, Shepherds Bush, W14 0DA. It is open every week on Thursday from 1pm to 3pm.

For general enquiries about Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank, email info@hffb.org, or visit the website. Alternatively you can follow it on Twitter and keep up-to-date via Facebook .

 

December 21, 2016