Hackney Foodbank hosts Volunteer Celebration Event
This summer we wanted to thank and acknowledge all of our amazing volunteers for their hard work, support and commitment to Hackney Foodbank with a celebration event which took place on 9 September 2021 and was hosted at the wonderful Leaside Trust. The volunteers and staff were welcomed with drinks served in compostable Vegware cups alongside delicious canapes which were prepared by Fat Macy's Social Enterprise Catering and followed by a speech from the CEO, Kye and Chair of Trustees Sue, before a tasty dinner provided by Humdingers Catering was served and then finally, ending the night with a raffle where every single volunteer won a prize!
Huge thanks to Terry and his team for allowing us to use his amazing venue for the evening and for Leaside's continued support over the past months in helping us establish a new distribution centre at Leaside Trust. Our thanks also goes to Fat Macy's & Humdingers - both of which are tackling poverty in their own ways and provided us with delicious food on the evening.
The delivery of our much-needed services to local people in Hackney is reliant on our fantastic teams at Hackney Foodbank who represent every aspect of our vibrant community in the borough. We'd like to give a great, big thank you to all of our generous contributors who donated one or more prizes to our raffle so that all 105 of our volunteers that attended the event won a gift on the night. The response we received from the community of such wonderful independent and corporate businesses was overwhelming and we can't thank them enough for supporting Hackney Foodbank and our volunteers.
A big shout-out goes to: The Cavalry and Guards Club, Lucy Mahon, Hounds of Hackney, Moth Club, Charlotte Millbank, Prior and Partners, Arthur Barr & Melanie deJesus, Print Club, Friends of Ours, C.A Halpin, Pixel Press, Duke of Richmond, Glock Agency, 69b Boutique, The Proof, G. Pellicci, Chick 'n' Sours, Helen Price, Climpson and Sons, De Beauvoir Deli, Jackpot peanut butter, Studio Kitchen, Pastore Pizza, Lucky and Joy, Matt Burton, Haeckels, Mad Atelier, Good Ordering, The Dusty Knuckle, Love Cocoa and Rubies in the Rubble for their amazing gifts and prizes!!
When thanking our volunteers, Chief Executive Officer Kye Lockwood said:
'“As a charity, we have always relied on the generosity, compassion and dedication of our volunteer teams, but never more so than over the past eighteen months. Each and every one of you plays a vital role in helping to support people in our community who have found themselves in times of crisis or trapped in poverty. Without you, we simply wouldn’t be able to function, and we wouldn’t have been able to keep our doors open throughout this pandemic. You give your time and energy to help and continue supporting our community through incredibly challenging situations. Your efforts are greatly appreciated – by me, by the staff, by our trustees at the food bank, but most importantly by the beneficiaries who access our services. With your continued support and dedication, we will be able to remain a place of safety and hope for people facing really difficult and complex circumstances - whether it’s fleeing domestic violence, impossible working conditions, finding themselves at the wrong end of an eviction notice or any number of other reasons, we will be here for them. We are preparing for the inevitable increase in demand and exploring ways to make our offer more equitable, more inclusive, and more appropriate to the diverse communities we serve across Hackney.”
The team are planning a number of events over the new year including Hackney Foodbank's 10th Anniversary Event which will welcome local people who have accessed our services as well as colleagues, volunteers, partners and residents.
If your company would like to support these upcoming events, please contact Shell our Marketing and Communications Manager on shell@hackneyfoodbank.org.