Walworth: Donate meals to your neighbours
Louie Louie, a cafe and bar in Walworth Road, has raised nearly £4,000 so its kitchen can make, donate and deliver food to locals in need, writes Katherine Johnston…
For every £5 given, a meal will be made for someone who needs it the most including those in quarantine, elderly, pregnant or those financially struggling – including families who depend on free school meals.
The cafe, which isn’t making any profit from the scheme, is distributing its food via the North Walworth Mutual Aid group.
Rachel Rumbol, a chef and the fundraiser’s organiser, said raising so much cash in just three days had left the team ‘blown away’ by the community’s generosity.
“Everyone coming together in this strange and unprecedented time, when we are forced to be physically apart, is a reminder of the strength of our communities and that we will get through this and in some ways come out stronger at the end,” she wrote on the fundraising page.
Meanwhile, 186 have been delivered to self-isolating families on the Aylesbury Estate by Pembroke House and the Creation Trust with the help of Burgess Sports volunteers.
www.uk.gofundme.com/f/louie-louie-local
Bermondsey: Community kitchen makes meals for the elderly
The Bermondsey community has rallied together to provide more than four hundred nutritious meals for OAPs in the local area, writes Josh Sailisbury…
The joint effort between Bermondsey Community Kitchen, based in the Blue, Southwark Irish Pensioners and Engie saw a whopping 400 bangers ‘n’ mash made for isolating elderly people.
South Bermondsey ward councillor, Leo Pollak, praised the effort: “Our incredible community is pulling together. I’m sure we’ll come out of this crisis a stronger and kinder society,” he said.
The meals even had one person asking: “Do you do deliveries north of the river?” Another added: “That’s amazing – what a great thing to do.”
More details about Bermondsey Community Kitchen can be found at bermondseycommunitykitchen.co.uk
Rotherhithe: Do you have the time and talent to help out?
For over a century Time & Talents have been at the forefront of helping people in the north of the borough and during the current crisis they are there again focusing their resources on helping the elderly, writes Kevin Quinn…
Based at the Old Mortuary, off St Marychurch Street, the charity had to suspend all face-to face groups and activities, but are expanding their befriending service to older people.
They are making calls and finding other ways to keep in touch with elderly people in self isolation as well as deelivering urgent food packs to them and other families in need in the area
More volunteers have signed up on top of their pool of existing volunteers. They are happy to recruit more volunteers especially
To register your interest, please fill in our volunteering form:
www.timeandtalents.org.uk/volunteering-application-form
Before applying, Time & Talents have asked that weather you’d consider if this is something you would like to continue after this emergency. Due to the cost of DBS processing, they will prioritise longer-term volunteers.
Director Sarah Gibbs said: “We’re streamlining our induction process to work as quickly as possible whilst ensuring appropriate safeguarding measures are in place, and we thank people for thier patience. We will keep updating our news page with any developments.”
You can speak to someone at the charity on 020 7231 7845 to see how you can help. The charity is well-known for its family activities and there Rotherhithe Shed project.
If you would like to donate to Time & Talents: www.timeandtalents.org.uk/donate
Elephant & Castle: Gym members donate to appeal
Everyone Active gym members have raised £100,000 for the National Emergencies Trust Coronavirus appeal by donating 50 per cent of their gym fees during the lockdown, writes Katherine Johnston…
Although all eight Southwark gyms are now closed, the company is also offering a suite of online material so people can continue working out from home for a reduced cost of £9.99. Meanwhile Elephant and Castle landlord Delancey pledged to keep its food shops and pharmacies open ‘for as long as statutory authorities permit us to’. It has also waived rent and service charge for traders until July when the centre is planned to finally close.
Its community hub, which hosts regular events, is now online visit www.communityhubse1.co.uk/ for more information.
Latin Elephant has also called for people to support an emergency appeal from Latin American Women’s Aid, fundraising to support victims of domestic violence at increased risk while isolating at home.
Visit www.lawadv.org.uk/en
Camberwell: Buy NHS workers a meal at this café
Lumberjack cafe is offering customers an option to ‘pay it forward’ to give NHS staff a meal, writes Katherine Johnston…
The cafe, on Camberwell Church Street, has been giving the meals to nurses and doctors at King’s College Hospital, paid for by customers.
Punters can pay £6 or £12 to give staff breakfast or lunch. “Fancy buying a drink and a pastry for someone working on the front line during the Covid-19 pandemic?” asks the charity-owned cafe.
“It’s only a small token compared to what they’re currently doing for us but by feeding them, they’re able to carry on without missing meals on long and demanding shifts.”
www.shop.wearelumberjack.co.uk
Borough: Social enterprise sets up helping amid crisis
A London Bridge social enterprise, Brigade Bar and Kitchen, is setting up a support line to signpost all those who need advice and help during this crisis in the right direction, writes Josh Salisbury…
This is in addition to the restaurant making and delivering thousands of meals all across the capital to the vulnerable.
It has made and delivered 3,500 meals to the vulnerable; collected and distributed 2,000 meals of fresh food; and sent an additional five thousand meals to charity partners.
This week it launched its support line, and aims to staff it with volunteers who are familiar with advice from government and the council alongside practical tips on maintaining mental wellbeing.
A fundraiser from the Beyond Food foundation which runs the restaurant on Tooley Street to support this work has so far raised more than £7,000 of a £50,000 total.
“The individuals we work with are often already isolated from their communities and have a wide range of complex support needs,” it pledges.
“We will maintain a line of contact with those in need through phone and email communications, and commit to responding within two hours to all requests.”
The fundraiser can be found at crowdfunder.co.uk/beyondbrigade.
Nunhead and Peckham: Over 100 volunteers and counting
Nunhead Knocks, a Coronavirus community group formed by the Nunhead Rocks facebook group founders, says in its first ten days of operation it had over 80 requests for help and 77 calls to its dedicated COVID-19 hotline, writes Katherine Johnston…
The group, which is covering the Peckham Rye and Queen’s Road areas too, has helped people without electricity and unable to cook, matched locals with dementia keyworkers and helped an oncologist find a car so he could get to work to treat his patients when the nearest tube station closed.
More than 100 people have signed up as volunteers. A rota system they have set up is helping to get more than 50 prescriptions from Kristal Pharmacy delivered safely every day – and cyber security experts are making sure all the information and contact details they have on file is safely stored.
East Dulwich: Community raffle set up to support traders
A new online East Dulwich community raffle hopes to drum up support for struggling traders in East Dulwich, writes Katherine Johnston…
Set up by resident Victoria Rennison, online tickets are just £1, with proceeds used to buy prizes from shops, restaurants, gyms, cafes and independent businesses.
A new prize is being added to the haul with every 50 tickets sold. In total, there are 10,000 tickets up for grabs until Easter.
Three-and-a-half thousand tickets have already been sold, with 60 prizes on offer as of Monday this week. Prizes up for grabs include a cocktail night for two at House of Tippler, a selection of cheeses from The Cheese Block, and brunch for two at Poached.
Duwich: College’s 3D print goggles for NHS
Across the borough schools are donating protective goggles to hospitals and GP surgeries, writes Katherine Johnston…
Dulwich College’s design and technology department has donated its supply of protective goggles to West Dulwich’s Old Dairy Health Centre. GP Dr Rosemary Leonard said more were on their way courtesy of the school’s 3D printer, and urged any other well-equipped schools to follow suit.
Other establishments to donate goggles from their science and technology and design departments include Nunhead’s St Thomas the Apostle school which has donated to King’s College Hospital and Lewisham Hospital, and Harris Academy in Peckham, which sent 170 pairs to Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.
And, a Herne Hill councillor is one of those on the frontline. Lambeth councillor Pauline George is working 13-hour intensive care unit shifts.
- READ OUR COMMENT: Long-running community groups shine through amid Coronavirus outbreak
Do you know if there Is anywhere in Peckham delivering free food to the vulnerable who are isolated? I have COPD & Asthma so really can’t go out and a friend of mine that lives 5/10 mins away from me is extremely vulnerable and has an extremely low immune system. Any help appreciated. Thank you x
If you get in touch with https://www.nunheadknocks.com/ they’ll be able to help.