Sufra Foodbank call for support for #FoodParcelChallenge

From Sufra North West London

If you’ve been feasting with family and friends over the Bank holiday weekend, have some pity on the 20 or so volunteers who started the #FoodParcelChallenge yesterday.

Last Sunday, Councillor Roxanne Mashari, Brent Council’s Lead Member for Employment & Skills, turned up at the food bank, alongside 22 other families in need and many volunteers, to pick up a food parcel for the start of the challenge. Together, we’re pledging to live on a typical food parcel for 5 days to raise awareness of food poverty in Brent and fundraise for Sufra NW London’s food bank.

The last financial year witnessed a 62% increase in the number of food parcels delivered, serving 3,858 people of whom more than two-thirds were unique users.

You can check out Councillor Roxanne Mashari’s daily blog on her experiences of taking part in the #FoodParcelChallenge here. Although I’m not sure I agree with her comments on Pea & Mint Soup!

The #FoodParcelChallenge seems easier that it looks. But it only hits you when you’re rummaging through the bags to see what’s for dinner. Yesterday, I had black coffee for breakfast and a biscuit, a can of baked beans for lunch and boiled rice for dinner with a tin of chick peas. And there wasn’t much of it either. You can follow our pangs of hunger and unrepentant rant on Twitter and Facebook.

But we need your help, to keep serving families in poverty and provide them with wholesome, healthy food during their time of crisis. Please support the team and sponsor us here.

The #FoodParcelChallenge will end with The Big Lunch on St. Raphael’s Estate, sponsored by Halifax and Daniel’s Estate Agents, on Saturday 30 May 2015. They’ll be a free barbecue, snacks and milkshakes, plus lots of entertainment. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

£1,000 FOR YOUR VOTE

Yes, you have until Saturday, to help us win £1,000 from the Aviva Community Fund to set up a food growing project on St. Raphael’s Estate. This will help us provide fresh fruit and vegetables at the food bank and provide new volunteering and learning opportunities for the local community.

I’m not one to keep to my 5 a day, but now that I’m doing the #FoodParcelChallenge, I would die for a carrot. Even a tomato, and I hate tomatoes.

All you have to do is click here, create a login, and give us 10 votes. Now that’s not too much to ask for, is it? We need 5,000 votes, and we’re only half-way there.

Deadline is Saturday. Do it now.

St Raphael's 'Edible Garden' needs your vote

Sufra NW London is supporting a bid for Aviva Community Funds for an 'Edible Garden' on St Raphael's Estate in Brent.

St. Raphael’s Estate is the most deprived neighbourhood in Brent, with a notorious reputation for gang-related crime and anti-social behaviour. Levels of unemployment are high, and with no permanent facilities or activities on the estate, ethnic tensions occasionally erupt in violence. Health inequalities on the estate exacerbate deprivation in the local community. 11% of residents suffer from diabetes whereas the borough average is 7% and 24% of children in Year 6 are classified as obese. Apart from a lack of physical exercise, local residents simply cannot afford a balanced and healthy diet. The cost of fruit and vegetables at the local supermarket makes fresh produce a luxury rather than an essential part of every meal.

After 3 years of campaigning, local residents on the estate have finally secured a lease on a derelict plot in the middle of the estate measuring over 400 square metres to setup a food growing project. The aim of the project is to promote healthy eating and physical exercise by encouraging local people to manage the site, grow their own fruit and vegetables at no cost, understand the provenance of food and familiarise themselves with eating fresh ingredients.

Over the last few months, the community has cleared much of the site of rubble, fly-tipping and other waste and we are now looking to develop a land-mark site that improves the appearance of the estate, gives local people the opportunity to take part in alternative physical exercise by growing their own produce and promotes conservation and recycling of food waste.

St. Raphael’s Edible Garden will strengthen this grassroots initiative by bringing together more residents to build raised beds and growing structures using recycled materials, learn to grow a variety of fruit and vegetables using both traditional and innovative techniques like hydrophonic and aquaphonic farming and benefit from seasonal produce throughout the year. Without any regular social or cultural activities on the estate, the new space will also allow residents to organise outdoor events celebrating national and cultural festivals.

Alongside a programme of food growing and social events, the Edible Garden will offer accredited learning opportunities; young people will learn practical skills in growing and gardening, families will take part in cookery classes to learn about nutrition and healthy eating and resident ambassadors will learn to promote environmental awareness and encourage local conservation on the estate. Through regular social activities, local volunteering and skills development opportunities, the project will improve health and well-being as part of a wider programme to contribute towards the economic prosperity of our neglected community.

We hope that you will support this project by helping us to fund equipment and materials to make our vision a reality.

To register with AVIVA and vote for this project go to LINK