Hackney Foodhub has reached a major milestone, delivering more than 15,000 meals to vulnerable Hackney residents ahead of Christmas. Established at the beginning of the pandemic, the Foodhub is a bustling hive of activity based on the Woodberry Down estate with an army of dedicated frontline staff and volunteers working week in, week out to support people across the borough who might otherwise slip into food poverty.
Well known for its tremendous sense of community spirit, Woodberry Down's local residents came together to staff the Foodhub which is managed by Manor House Development Trust (MHDT) and supported by Hackney Council and Berkeley Homes. Starting off as a small service focused on the estate community, the Foodhub quickly grew in size to become Hackney's main emergency food distribution hub.
Local volunteers also set up Woodberry Aid, an initiative which supports vulnerable local people including low income families, the isolated elderly and the homeless, with the delivery of prescription medications and weekly food parcels, tailored to meet cultural and dietary needs. Hackney Council and Berkeley Homes recently came together to support Woodberry Aid, each committing to donating £1,000 every month, for the next six months, to go towards buying food to meet an increasing demand.
All of the households who currently receive support from either the Foodhub and Woodberry Aid also received a Christmas hamper from the partnership, containing essential food items and festive treats.
Phil Glanville, Mayor of Hackney said "The festive period can be extremely challenging for vulnerable people, especially during this pandemic. The generosity and hard work of the Foodhub and Woodberry Aid is inspiring and is making a huge impact to those in the community. We're committed to ensuring this vital work can still go ahead for many months to come."
Simon Donovan, Chief Executive of Manor House Development Trust said "The efficiency of the Foodhub and the rate at which we were able to expand is a monumental achievement. It's all down to the amazing people who live in this community, alongside the strength of the regeneration partnership who have been able to respond quickly to put the necessary infrastructure in place to support the Foodhub. There is no way we could have done this without everyone getting involved and playing their part - it's a real regeneration success story. I want to thank all of the volunteers, supporters and funders for making it possible."
Justin Tibaldi, Divisional Managing Director at Berkeley Homes said "Food poverty has only worsened during the pandemic and the work that the staff and volunteers at the Foodhub and Woodberry Aid are doing is truly commendable. There's an incredibly strong sense of community spirit here at Woodberry Down and the care people have shown for their neighbours is one of the key reasons as to why so many residents want to stay and live their entire lives here - it's a very special place."