As I write One man has done an amazing job raising millions for the NHS which is NOT a Charity, whilst food banks across the country like ours are having to crowdfund and beg strangers for cash to keep going to buy a tin of beans, a loaf of bread a spare loo roll., as cash and food donations dry up. The need has never been so great with 1.5 million in isolation and end of week 4 in which most still waiting for Food Parcels that are still to be sorted, whilst 700,000 volunteers await their first job, logistics this crisis from Food to PPE has been clearly wanting. Last week even though we had passed the 1000 person fed mark our application to the Mayors Corona Community support fund was declined without any reason even though we ticked every criteria box and only needed to tick one, on Friday we were given a list of another 37 families to help and support across a further 5 boroughs to add to the 6 boroughs we presently cover, a never-ending list of clients from Social Services. Refugee Council. Churches. and this week added to the list Housing Associations referring tenants who are not only unable to pay the rent, they can no longer buy food, top-up key meters, most of those we help don't have the luxury of the Internet , Smartphones and yet we like everyone working this sector are snowed under with requests for help from increasing numbers of people who never in a million years felt they would need to depend or seek out the support of a food bank.
On Saturday we got a call from a family in Devon their 90-year-old relative had been released after 6 months in hospital to free up a bed for Corona with no home care plan in place, no support and a family living 200 miles away. We are now like so many like this Man feeding and keeping him safe through our buddy project whilst giving comfort to his family that someone is looking out for him. Our GoFundMe page link here. So if you can please donate. https://www.gofundme.com/f/corona-virus-community-support-network?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
Food Banks get donated food but never enough and have to buy most of what we give away, we get almost nothing in cash donations, to get a charity number we need £5000 income, not a lot you would think but a figure we have never got close since we set up We Care food bank in 2014. If we had £5000 we could get a charity number, we could get Gift Aid so every penny people do donate we could get cashback from the Government after the lockdown the crisis will continue for millions without a job or a business but as always We Care will try to do our bit, Why is it so hard to raise pennies to feed the #Disabled, the #Homeless, #refugees the #poor or people through no fault of their own find themselves in poor health or without a job. This week we started delivering children's books with our food, at the same time as we run out of cash. We will probably have to stop topping up key meters and phones for isolated people to keep contact with the outside world we can only so so much on fresh air, we are doing the work of the State for Free , but fresh air only goes so far the cash needs to get to grassroots groups like our Corona Community Support Network that with www.kathduncanwequaltyandcivilrightsnetwork.org has insured most groups across South East London and smaller food projects across UK and Spain are using We Care food contracts and insurance to feed their clients so the numbers we keep alive across the Uk unmeasurable . we marched in #Lewisham to safe our Hospital, Will we march, chip in or Speak out to fund our Food Banks in 2020 even if it's not cool?
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