Enfield’s Community Pantry opened this week (27 April) offering vital, bulk food to groups who are supporting their communities with cooked meals.
The service is run by Enfield Council’s community outreach programme, Enfield Stands Together, which is supplying food in partnership with the charity The Felix Project.
Metro Bank, which opened a branch in the middle of Enfield Town last year has pledged to support Enfield Council’s initiative by offering volunteers to help operate the Community Pantry.
Enfield Council’s Leader, Cllr Nesil Caliskan, said: “A cooked meal can be a lifeline to many who are self isolating without any support during this difficult time. If you are a local voluntary sector organisation, community group, sports clubs or local action team, we are on hand to support your kitchen projects.”
Groups that are interested in the Community Pantry can apply online. Requests for food will be assessed and processed, with an additional referral to the Council’s food and hygiene team. Bulk food collections will be available three days a week, by appointment.
In addition, some local groups have been offered the opportunity to apply for small grants from Enfield Council to help them set up projects so they can prepare and deliver foods to communities and offer a taste of home to those in need.
Enfield Stands Together launched at the beginning of April in response to the COVID-19 crisis. It began by sending urgent help to those in Enfield identified as extremely vulnerable through self-referral, referral by family and friends and via the government’s Shielding list.
Thus far, Enfield Stands Together has delivered more than 5,000 food parcels, taken in excess of 5,000 phone calls and delivered 1,300 prescriptions.
The call centre team has also made 235 phone calls to people who are isolated and alone. Around 18,000 letters have been sent out, personally addressed to Enfield’s most vulnerable residents, detailing the support available.
If you would like to show your ongoing support for your community and be part of Enfield Stands Together, you can make a donation via Just Giving. Every donation makes a massive difference. You may leave a few pounds in lieu of the food you would have left at a food bank, for example.
To find out more, go to www.enfield.gov.uk/est or you can sign up to our newsletters at www.enfield.gov.uk/enewsletters .