Copenhagen Street Foodbank
Blessed Sacrament Parish continues supporting Copenhagen Street Foodbank by providing the use of our hall and special storeroom on Wednesdays and Thursdays each week. We are dependent on a group of wonderful volunteers from Blessed Sacrament, St. Andrew’s, All Saints and the community at large to make the project happen.
Each Wednesday morning a few volunteers are on hand to receive, unpack and sort food deliveries and to arrange items for the Thursday morning produce packers and table arrangers. Another group of volunteers comes on Thursday mornings to pack the fruit and veg bags and get everything ready for opening from 1:30 to 3:30. Yet another shift of volunteers welcomes, registers and assists the clients as they obtain their food and other items and serves tea and coffee. More important than the work these volunteers persevere in doing week after week, is the happy, generous spirit with which they do it and the kind and respectful way they welcome and assist all who come to the foodbank. We are especially grateful to our parishioner, Attracta Roden, who coordinates the day-to-day workings of this venture.
We are open every Thursday from 1:00 – 3:30. The cost of living crisis has significantly increased the number of clients we serve, usually around 140 each week. Clients choose from a range of non-perishable food and other products and receive bags of fresh produce. Double portions are given to households of five or more. Over and above this, there are frequently special items that come with the Felix Project and City Harvest deliveries, homemade meals from a local restaurant and bread and baked goods from several bakeries. If you live in the Cally area, you will be aware of collection points at Iceland and both Coops. Volunteers also collect from local Sainsbury shops by the Holloway and Caledonian Road Stations.
I hope this update gives you a renewed understanding of this aspect of the parish’s mission of outreach to the local community.
How can you help? You can bring non-perishable items to church on Sundays and place them in the box on the stairs at the entrance or bring items to the hall on Wednesdays from 9:30 – 12:00 or Thursdays from 9:30 to 3:30.
If you have any time on Thursdays, you can consider volunteering. Talk to Sister Miriam or Attracta.
You can make direct financial contributions to our new bank account: Copenhagen Street Foodbank, Sort Code 30-98-97, Account Number 5492976
Most importantly, you can pray for all who are involved in the foodbank, clients and volunteers.