Credit: Darius Norvilas (Flickr)
Hackney businesses and residents are being urged to help Hackney’s food bank in its hunt for new home to save it from temporary closure.
The food bank – currently at St Mary’s Church, Stoke Newington – has to move out in October after the building it operates from was sold.
In a public plea, a spokesperson said: “Hackney Foodbank moves over 30 tonnes of food in and out of our premises each year, feeding thousands of local people in crisis. Help us find a warehouse, and you will help the most vulnerable members of our community towards a more hopeful future.”
Liza Cucco, Hackney food bank’s project manager, told the Hackney Gazette: “We weren’t surprised by the date we were given but we were hoping we could stay through the winter.
“We get out most support from October to December and we couldn’t move then.”
As a result, the moving date has now been scheduled to be by September so it does not coincide with the food bank’s busiest period.
£10,000 was raised for the organisation at an auction last month to help find a new warehouse, however, a new home is yet to be found.
This is why Cucco is calling for help of business, landlords and locals to inform the food bank of any available sites.
We’re urgently seeking a home for our warehouse & office in September #WarehouseAppeal #HouseHackneyFoodbank @TrussellTrust @hackneycouncil
— Hackney Foodbank (@HackneyFoodbank) July 6, 2016
She said: “We have one potential lead but it’s not in Hackney, and we really want to stay here”.
“We have 250 to 300 volunteers from the borough work with us every year and we want to keep doing that.
“It doesn’t need to be one big room, it can be a couple of rooms. Commercial space is better and we would need it for at least a year, short term is not suitable for us because of how much food we store.
But Cucco warned: “If we don’t find somewhere we might not be able to provide continuous service, we might have to close down for a month or two.”
Hackney food bank opened in 2012 and during last year only it gave around 3,215 food supplies to people in need.
If you have any information about potential spaces in Hackney, email trustees@hackney.foodbank.org.uk
