Emdad Rahman
With the new year bringing in the coldest weather for twelve months, local organisations in East London have partnered up to offer soup kitchen services for homeless citizens and food parcels for those facing hardship.
Oxfam and Church Action on Poverty estimate that over 500,000 people in the UK are now reliant on food parcels. Over 2 million people in the UK are estimated to be malnourished, and 3 million are at risk of becoming so.
36% of the UK population are just one heating bill or a broken washing machine away from hardship.
In a bid to pool recourses together to mutually benefit those in need the Newham based Ummah Welfare Trust visited the Chapters and One Third Foodbank in Redbridge to provide necessary food items for distribution.
UWT Public Relations and Fundraising Manager Shaba Ali delivered large boxes of essentials like cereals, baked beans,sardines and soups amongst other things.
He said, “There was a time that when food poverty was mentioned people automatically assumed it was a far away foreign land. Sadly, today this is a reality in one of the world’s most economically powerful countries and with a lack of ideas on how to deal with the situation it has been left to the public and small charities to try to alleviate the growing problem we have.
“At Ummah Welfare Trust we take our role in the community very seriously and we are delighted to be working in partnership with likeminded organisations and individuals to support and deliver on our collective aims.”
During the handover Ali was joined by volunteer Hamza, aged, 14, a pupil of the London Enterprise Academy In Tower Hamlets.
The food bank is managed by volunteers from the Barking & Dagenham based One Third Soup Kitchen which serves hot food to the homeless and needy every Saturday at Stratford and Tower Hamlets.
Winter is the worst time of the year for poor and displaced families. The freezing winds and rain being home the reality of poverty and hardship for many people.
The Food Foundation think-tank has published research stating that almost 4 million children in the UK live in households that would struggle to afford to buy enough fruit, vegetables, fish and other healthy foods to meet the official nutrition guidelines.
The Ummah Welfare Trust operates a 100% donations policy. Since 2001, UWT has delivered donations to help over 22 million people nationally and globally.
www.uwt.org