Kye Lockwood joins Hackney Foodbank as CEO to lead on its organisational restructure

Hackney Foodbank is delighted to announce the appointment of Kye Lockwood as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

An inspirational leader, Kye, joins Hackney Foodbank from Social Action for Health, where he led a dedicated team of staff, volunteers, session workers and associates who shared a passion to create a fairer society. The CEO role he has taken on at Hackney Foodbank is a new one for the charity, currently one of the busiest Trussell Trust foodbanks in North London. Hackney Foodbank has seen huge growth in demand for its services and will benefit from Kye’s expertise in leading and managing projects and programmes and organisations in the charitable and social enterprise sector as it aligns its organisational structure to meet the challenges that lie ahead. 

Commenting on the appointment, Sue Bell, Chair of Trustees, said:

“Kye’s appointment is a pivotal step in Hackney Foodbank’s commitment to being the change we want to see in Hackney. 2020 was a challenging year for us but 2021 gives us the chance to take stock and really focus on developing a strategy that will move us closer to a future without the need for food banks. We are absolutely delighted to have Kye on board to lead our dedicated team of staff and volunteers in the journey to making this a reality.”

In his first month, Kye has really hit the ground running – meeting both MPs for Hackney, Diane Abbott MP and Meg Hillier MP, presenting at a meeting of the London Borough of Hackney’s Scrutiny Panel as well as meeting the Speaker of Hackney Council (Councillor Kam Adams) and various members of Hackney Food Justice Alliance’s network and the Hackney Advice Forum as well as, of course, all of his new staff team and a good number of the foodbank’s 140+ volunteers at the warehouse and each of the five distribution centres. Kye brings with him strong ties across multiple communities and is especially well-connected within Hackney where he has previously lived and raised a family and indeed worked for nearly 20 years.  Passionate about unlocking potential and reducing inequalities, Kye also loves food, having started his career as a chef!  He sees huge potential for volunteer/community engagement in his new role and is brimming with ideas around possible partnerships with local businesses and other community groups. When asked what attracted him to the role, Kye responded:

“The chance to lead the dedicated and passionate team of staff and volunteers at such a pivotal time in Hackney Foodbank’s history was too good to turn down. It’s an absolute privilege to serve people in crisis and work alongside our local stakeholders, referral partners, distribution centre hosts and the Trussell Trust at such a critical moment for our community.”

For further information please contact info@hackney.foodbank.org.uk

About Hackney Foodbank

  • Hackney Foodbank has been providing three days emergency food and support to local people since 2011.

  • 19,545 beneficiaries were helped by Hackney Foodbank emergency food parcels in 2020.

  • Hackney Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust network. For UK-wide Trussell Trust food bank statistics visit: https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/

About the Trussell Trust

  • We’re here to end the need for food banks in the UK.     

  • We support a UK-wide network of more than 1,300 food bank centres and together we provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty, and campaign for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.     

  • Our most recent figures for the number of emergency food supplies provided by our network: https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/

  • The Trussell Trust's food bank network brings together volunteers, staff and supporters of all faiths and none to make a difference. Local churches play a vital part in this work, with around 12,000 churches actively involved in donating food, and providing venues, volunteers and financial support for food banks.    

  • You can read more about our work at trusselltrust.org

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