Getting a bag of food from charity volunteers can mean the difference between a family going hungry or eating well for the next few days. HANNAH BEWLEY reports
A SMALL room in a church is packed with people quietly waiting for a shopping bag full of basic food.
Four volunteers work frantically to take their voucher, fill up a plastic bag with goods and pass on the essentials to the person who knows they will probably come back next week even though this is supposed to be a temporary solution.
But many people don’t have an option and the food bank at the Pentecostal City Mission Church in Scrubs Lane, Harlesden – the only one in Brent or Harrow – is a lifeline.
Michele Lawrence has been running the service since it started two years ago, on behalf of the Trussell Trust, and said that more and more hungry people are coming as families struggle to cope with cuts to their benefits and the rising prices of food.
“It’s going to get a lot worse,” Michele said. “We are busy at the moment and can just about cope, but once more people find out about us and have their benefits reduced we won’t be able to manage.”
There are four volunteers – down from 20 originally – and piles of food donated by generous customers from nearby supermarkets which is stored at the self-storage unit.
More than 20 people come twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to pick up bags of essentials after having been identified by charities, social services and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau as most in need.
Donna Turner, who works for the Park Royal branch of Asda where generous customers buy items and donate them, said: “It’s meant as a back-up, so if someone doesn’t get their benefits we can provide something to fall back on. The families get more and there is enough food there for a week.”
Many of the people waiting for the hand outs would never have imagined themselves having to ask for charity.
A 21-year-old pregnant woman from Stonebridge said: “I haven’t received income support for four weeks. I have been looking for a job for a year and have been to loads of interviews but now I am pregnant I don’t know what else to do. “I didn’t really want to come here, I don’t want to accept charity in that way, but my mum suggested I have a look. I have come here to keep my baby healthy though.”
People must be referred through a service provider and turn-up with a voucher to ensure the food only goes to those in need.
Michele said she wishes they could do more, but they are limited by space and scare resources, with only one cupboard and a self-storage unit nearby, meaning some food has be thrown out due to a lack of space.
She said: “There are so many children in Brent who go to school hungry and aren’t given a proper breakfast. I want to start working with the schools but I just don’t have any way to contact them and organise everything.”
Ernest Osei-Tutu works for the Stepping Stones Project, part of Langley House Trust which helps rehabilitate prisoners, and was at the centre on behalf of some of the men. He said: “This is very, very helpful. If they didn’t have it many of them would be shoplifting. It is not just that they are paying fines and sometimes child support but they can’t support themselves on what they receive and some rely on the food banks.”
Two former prisoners, who are still on licence so are unable to find employment, come regularly as their benefits do not cover everything they need and told the Observer they used to shoplift in order to eat as they weren’t able to make ends meet.
There are 252 food banks run by the Trussell Trust across the UK and 38 in London.
If you are able to help by providing storage or office space, please get in touch via www.trusselltrust.co.uk or through the Observer.
