Not Superheroes, but Neighbours

To mark this year’s World Day of the Poor on Sunday 19th November, we are pleased to showcase the incredible work taking place at the food bank at Sacred Heart Church in Holloway, whose volunteers included a team of dedicated teenagers preparing to receive Confirmation. The growth of the project and the commitment of its volunteers has been a testament to Pope Francis’ statement in his message for World Day of the Poor: ‘They are not superheroes but “next-door neighbours.”‘

Read on for volunteer Paul Nunn’s reflection on what the foodbank has achieved since 2020.

‘The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world, and Holloway was no exception. After the lockdown was enforced and the vulnerable and elderly were instructed to shield, a few of us started to deliver food parcels to those who were shielding, with the help of food vouchers from Caritas Westminster, donations from parishioners and support from our Parish Priest. By January 2021, this quickly expanded into a full-scale food bank, sustained by funding from the London Borough of Islington and the Cardinal’s Appeal.

‘Our food bank operated fortnightly on Saturday mornings, giving out non-perishable foods, household cleaning materials and toiletries to anyone who came. Choice is very important to us, so we allow our clients to choose up to 15 items from a list of about 40.

‘More than 40% of the people we served came from the postcodes nearest us, and the rest from across London, primarily the North and East. We soon had over 20 families coming for each session, and this rose rapidly to over 100 families.’

‘Though we began with the objective of providing essentials to those who were struggling to access them, we soon realised that many of our clients were living on the edges of society, and decided to speak to Caritas staff about mitigating this social exclusion through our work.’

‘As a result, in November 2022 we started offering clients a hot drink in the parish centre, which also served as a warm, welcoming space for them to socialise in. Since December, one family has been preparing hot vegetarian meals, which are very popular with clients and volunteers alike. The National Lottery Community Fund has supported this expansion, along with the Cripplegate Foundation (Islington Giving) and the Arsenal Foundation.

‘We now have over 500 families and individuals registered. 58% of these have attended five sessions or less, suggesting that people mainly come to us in situations of urgent need — for example after a reduction of benefits, job loss or illness. We also know that 25% of clients are currently in work, but not earning enough to feed their families, while nearly 90% of those who register (excluding those who live alone) are the sole providers for their families. We have almost double the number of women as men. Also noteworthy is the fact that nearly 42% of registered clients are aged over 65; a difficult statistic when it comes to helping to build resilience.

‘You’re providing a real service here – don’t give up. It’s really helping us.’
— a client of the food bank

‘The organisers are all volunteers. It’s usually three of us who do the buying; seeking out low-cost but good-quality items from supermarkets and wholesalers. The parish also offers support through their administrator and storage space. And all our income goes towards buying provisions. At each session, we have volunteers at the front desk, in the kitchen and in the store, filling and bringing over baskets of food to the centre.

‘Our Confirmation candidates have always been involved in charitable projects. Many of them jumped at the chance to help out at the food bank, and have been doing sterling work. Once Confirmed, a lot of them continue to help out. Parents are happy for them to take part, and we give those who ask a volunteering certificate; the students know the experience will improve their CVs, and some help as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award projects.

‘We enjoy being with our friends and helping people at the same time.’

‘It gets so busy that we don’t feel the time go by.’
— Confirmation candidates volunteering at the food bank

‘For the future,’ says Nunn, ‘we are trying hard to get fresh food from surplus food suppliers, and we are ready to move up to a weekly operation once we have got that working. We know we need to respond better to clients’ specific needs, which means knowing more about what those needs are, and bringing in expertise to help address them.’