LOCAL councillors from across the political divide have lent their support to major bids to keep city residents fed during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Leaders at the Oasis Warndon Community Hub have expanded their community pantry to provide food to residents during the coronavirus lockdown.
A team of staff and volunteers at the hub, in Edgeworth Close, are helping to collect and deliver food parcels three nights a week. The team are also delivering 40 prepared meals a week to families in need.
The project was recently boosted by Gorse Hill and Warndon Coun Ceri Stalker (Lab), who used the last of the money from her 2019/20 County Council fund to support the project.
She said: “I’m delighted to have been able to use money from my divisional fund to support this project and I hope the food which is delivered will be useful to residents in our local community, some of whom are really needing support at this difficult time.
“The team at the Oasis Warndon Hub lead many community schemes with groups within the area and I look forward to continuing to work with them both during the current crisis and beyond.”
Fay Osborne, hub leader said: “Both the meals and the community pantry reach some of the most vulnerable in our community, it’s great to be able to provide this to give everybody a little boost.
“The wider community have really got involved, sending donations our way that we have then been able to pass on to families. With the latest situation we have found that our pantry is proving to be needed more than before. We were really grateful when Coun Stalker got in touch with us to say that she could help support our food projects with a donation from the local fund.”
“Coun Stalker has been regularly contacting us to see how everything is going which we have found really supportive.”
Opened at the community hub in October 2019 in response to families coming to the hub for food support, the pantry was started by providing a ‘meal in a bag’ for emergencies, with donations collected from staff and families at Oasis Academy Warndon.
A ‘reverse advent calendar’ at Christmas allowed people to donate a listed item throughout December. The hub is hoping to be able to continue to offer the community pantry and hot meals for as long as possible.
Meanwhile Mayor of Worcester, Coun Allah Ditta has encouraged local residents to donate to the Worcester Foodbank and to local charities during Ramadan which takes place until May 23.
Members of the Worcester Mosque are making donations to the Worcester Foodbank and other local charities every Friday, throughout the holy month.
On Friday (May 1) the Mayor and family members donated a food parcel to St. Paul’s Hostel for the homeless, which is located opposite the Worcester Mosque on Tallow Hill.
“Ramadan is traditionally a month of giving. There are people in great need within our local community as a result of the pandemic, with many turning to a Foodbank for the first time in their lives.
“I would urge anyone who is able to do so, to contribute to the Worcester Foodbank this month.”
Worcester Foodbank is particularly short of UHT milk, orange juice, Smash potatoes, tinned potatoes, cereal and cream crackers at this point in time. The Worcester Foodbank also welcomes financial donations and supermarket voucher cards.
Visit www.worcester.foodbank.org.uk for more.
