Newham charity Bonny Downs Community Association (BDCA) today launched a Christmas appeal to help raise money and feed families in need over the busy holiday period.
Demand for emergency food parcels at Bonny Downs foodbank has more than doubled over the past year. Between October 2018 and September 2019, it provided 1,629 food parcels – up 107% on the previous year – and December is one of the busiest months of the year for the foodbank.
The foodbank is delivered on Wednesdays in partnership with Bonny Downs Baptist Church and Newham Foodbank, and it opened in 2013. The charity relies on donations to provide essential emergency food and offers additional support to help visitors tackle the underlying causes of their crisis, such as debt and benefits advice.
Since the foodbank opened, it has provided more than 6,000 emergency food parcels to local people in need, and more than one in three recipients were children, accounting for over 2,000 of the total.
Bonny Downs foodbank is part of the nationwide Trussell Trust network of foodbanks. The Trust says that colder weather heaps pressure onto people already in crisis during the winter, with families unable to cover the basic costs of living such as heating, food and other essentials.
New research shows that the key drivers behind use of foodbanks are problems with the benefits system, ill health, major life events such as an eviction or household breakdown, and a lack of local support. In respect of the benefits system, key issues highlighted by the research include a reduction in the value of benefit payments; being turned down for disability benefits; being sanctioned; and delays in payments such as the five-week wait for Universal Credit.
Peter Laing, Chief Executive of Bonny Downs Community Association, said:
“It’s heart-breaking to see demand for emergency food continuing to rise in Newham. Over the past twelve months, the number of food parcels we have given out at Bonny Downs has more than doubled.
“The truth is that too many families in Newham will be going without even the basics this holiday season. That’s why we are asking people to give what they can to our appeal. Just a small amount could make a big difference for our neighbours who are struggling.”
Angie Allgood, Project Coordinator at Bonny Downs Community Association, said:
“We’re so grateful to our local heroes who have given money and time to the foodbank this year and our amazing team of volunteers are geared up for what we expect to be our busiest December ever. Our priority is to ensure our visitors can cook a hot meal this Christmas, something so many of us take for granted, but we’d also love to top up our food parcels with a few festive treats.
“Financial donations are usually the best way to support our foodbank. We also welcome online supermarket food deliveries to Bonny Downs Church on Wednesday mornings, and non-perishable food, toiletries and Christmas treats dropped to the donation station at The Well Community Centre. In addition, supporters can donate a small proportion of their online Christmas shopping spend at Amazon Smile, and we’ll be glad to put any unwanted presents to good use after the holiday season.”
