Councillor Kangethe, staff, and volunteers hold the food hampers

East London Council delivers food hampers to 1,000 families over Easter

Barking and Dagenham Council teamed up with Growing Communities’ Better Food Shed, a not-for-profit organic fruit and vegetable wholesaler, to deliver 1,000 food hampers to support families who need it the most.

The food hampers were delivered to children attending the council’s Holiday Activity and Food programme, which is taking place in several locations across the borough during the Easter school break.  

The activities are free for children and young people who are eligible for free school meals, and each activity includes a healthy lunch as well as the food hampers packed with fresh, organic produce that the young ones can take home to their families.

Local volunteers helped BD Together and council staff pack up the hampers, which also included long shelf-life food items and a couple of easy and affordable recipes for families to try.

The Manager at Better Food Shed, Danny Fisher, said: “We’re pleased to be able to supply Barking and Dagenham Council with fresh, organic and locally grown produce, as part of our commitment to making good food accessible to everyone in London, wherever we can.”

This project was piloted over Christmas last year, when 1,000 food hampers were delivered for the first time to children participating in the holiday activities provided over the winter school break. Charlene, whose son attended the provision offered by DABD in December, said: “We were delighted to receive a hamper. The whole family really enjoyed the pasta recipe, and the free food was a big help after the very costly Christmas period.”    

Karen, another mother who received the hamper, said: “We really liked the food, particularly the fresh root vegetables. Besides trying the different recipes with my son, I could also show him the difference between vegetables such as parsnips and carrots.”

Councillor Elizabeth Kangethe, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement, said: “This is a great initiative to support the families of local pupils who are finding it hard to make ends meet during this difficult time. I would like to thank our partners, Better Food Shed, and a very special thank you to all the volunteers who helped pack the food hampers this week, giving their time to help our community.”