With many Christian charities taking a well-earned break over Christmas, Neighbourly had the opportunity to offer additional collections from supermarkets. Over 35 crates and sacks, comprising of meat, fish, vegetables, as well as a host of other goodies, were collected by ICSS and FoodBanked volunteers through coordinated visits to 10 branches of Sainsbury’s and Lidl at closing time on Christmas Eve. A great team effort which helped to feed 21 mostly Newham based families in need, as well at the homeless shelter at the Ryedale Center in Ilford.

None of this would have been possible without the efforts of dedicated volunteers who sacrificed their time on a cold Saturday evening to collect, sort and deliver this food. A special thanks to Ashraf Hussain of FoodBanked who coordinated its volunteers and Fashal Kharbari (also assisted ICSS during the pandemic) who returned to the UK from India a few days earlier to assist with this task. Together, we were able to make a difference to those in need.