Archive 2021 – Purley Food Hub

News Archive 2021

December 2021

Milk, sugar and meat meals head our January priority items

Thurs 30/12/21

We are hugely thankful to everyone who donated food and children’s festive treats from December’s most-wanted list – you have enabled us to help so many clients and family members over the Christmas period.

Due to the exceptionally high demand, however, we are now very short of the following eight items which are our priority items for donations please in January:

Long life whole milk
Small bags of sugar
Jars of peanut butter
Tinned meat meals (not spicy)
Packet soup
Small bottles of squash
Small washing up liquid and
Washing tablets/capsules

Click here to view or download this month’s full list.

If you are able to donate one or two items from the list, we – and our clients – will be so grateful. Donations can be brought to Purley United Reformed Church (next to Purley Hospital) on Wednesdays from 5th Jan, Saturdays from 8th Jan and Mondays from 10th Jan, all 9.00am – 12.00midday. Alternatively they can be left at any of our in-store and road collection points throughout Purley, South Croydon and Coulsdon.

Thank you everyone for your continued generosity.

More than 5,000 meals delivered in December – the highest monthly figure since we opened in 2013

Thurs 30/12/21

Our busiest ever pre-Christmas session on 22nd December was followed by our busiest ever post-Christmas session yesterday (Weds 29th Dec).

During another five-hour session, the team of 24 volunteers packed, despatched and delivered food parcels for 133 clients and family members. At three meals a day for three days for each person, that’s 1,197 meals.

It means that in these two sessions alone we provided a total of 2,421 meals, nearly twice last year’s corresponding 1,251 meals. It took our December total of meals to 5,184 – our most in any single month in the eight years since the Food Hub was launched in January 2013. It also took 2021’s overall total of meals provided to more than 33,500.

Once again, we gratefully acknowledge the contribution of each and every one of our 150 volunteers and each and every donation received from our ever-growing band of supporters.

Our busiest ever pre-Christmas session!

Thurs 23/12/21

We had our busiest ever pre-Christmas session at the Food Hub on Wednesday 22nd December.

In the course of a double session lasting more than five hours, our team of volunteers packed and delivered food parcels for 136 clients and family members across the south of the borough – a grand total of 1,224 meals.

Huge thanks to EVERYONE involved…and a special thank you to our unbelievably generous supporters who brought us a mountain of donations in November and December – festive treats and vital, everyday basics alike.

A brief selection of your donations is pictured alongside and below.

Thank you one and all!

Help us provide festive support for local people in crisis

Thurs 9/12/21

This year Purley Food Hub and our parent organisation, Churches Together in Purley and Kenley, will again be actively supporting the local community at Christmas.

Last year’s delivery of vouchers, in place of the Christmas Lunch on Jesus hampers, was very well received and, due to the current uncertain circumstances, we will once again be giving Aldi supermarket vouchers to 100 local families so that they can purchase the ingredients for a Christmas meal.

The vouchers cannot be used for alcohol, the lottery or tobacco and are intended for those who may not be able to afford a traditional Christmas meal. Accompanying the vouchers will be some booklets with a Christian message.

Our traditional Toys for Joy scheme is also suspended for this year. Instead we will be fundraising for local children’s centres.

We are looking to raise £7,500 for these projects so if you would like to contribute you can donate online via give.net and specify ‘Christmas Projects’ in the reference box.

If you prefer to send a cheque, please make this payable to ‘Purley Food Hub’ and write ‘Christmas Projects’ on the reverse. Send to Joanna Walker, Treasurer, Purley Food Hub, c/o Purley Baptist Church, Banstead Road, CR8 3EA.

If you would like to help deliver the vouchers to clients in December or if you have any questions please contact our Administrator Jean Ludlow by email at christmasprojects@pfoodhub.org.uk

As always, a massive thank you to all our supporters and donors. Your generosity makes such a difference to local families in crisis, especially at this time of year. Merry Christmas one and all!

Amazing feat of the family who ran and walked 5,000 miles

Thurs 2/12/21

Among the huge number of donations received by the Food Hub in November was £250 of food and essentials delivered by seven-year-old Diya and her family.

Diya, who with brother Aaryan, 10, goes to Beaumont Primary School, Purley, said: “Along with Aaryan, I helped to raise this money in memory of my great-grandmother Shantabaa who sadly passed away in November 2020.

“My family and I set ourselves a challenge to walk or run 5,144 miles in 83 days and raise money for various charities and good causes including food banks. We chose Purley Food Hub for the amazing work you do and to help support our local community.”

Diya’s mum Shinali added: “Shantabaa’s family in the UK consists of nearly 70 family members of whom 30 of us took part in the challenge to walk the 5,144 miles – the exact distance between her house in London to her village in India, where she desperately wanted to go before she passed away but never got the chance. As a family we decided we would walk the distance before her birthday, hence the odd number of days.

“In total we raised £10,000, and the money was split over various charities that were close to Shantabaa, including Newham General Hospital, British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and COVID relief fund in India. We also donated £3,000 across various food banks in London, Essex, Surrey and Kent, including Purley Food Hub.”

Thank you so much Diya, Aaryan, Shinali and the rest of your wonderful family!

Donations galore! It's a November to remember

Thurs 2/12/21

Huge thanks to all our donors, supporters and friends who contributed to an absolutely amazing amount of food donations received from groups and organisations, schools, churches and individuals in November.

You helped us to provide nearly 2,000 meals to 220 clients and family members during the month. We also supplied food to the Purley and Monks Hill Food Stops as well as to Croydon Nightwatch and The Link.

Among a host of generous donations were those from uniformed groups such as Beavers, Cubs and Scouts and Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, and also from organisations like Rotary (Coulsdon Manor, Purley and Sanderstead & Selsdon), WI (Kenley Flyers and Old Coulsdon Cupcakes) and Purley Inner Wheel. Others included Croydon Churches Forum, Croydon Communities Consortium, Caridon Property and Purley BID.

Collection points at local supermarkets need regular emptying, so thank you to those who place donations in these baskets and the individuals who bring the food (often a full car load!) to us, often on a weekly basis.

Collection points include Morrisons Five Ways, Croydon, Sainsbury’s Warlingham, Waitrose Sanderstead and Morrisons and Waitrose in Caterham. There are also 19 yellow wheelie bins across South Croydon, Sanderstead, Purley and Coulsdon provided by Croydon Covid-19 Mutual Aid as part of their One Tin Bin Initiative. A special thank you to those people who host the bins and bring the donations to the Food Hub.

This Christmas may be particularly difficult for many of our clients, with rising energy and food prices and the recent loss of the Universal Credit uplift. So, as always, on behalf of our clients and their families we are very thankful indeed for every donation we receive. Your continued support is massively appreciated and makes a real difference to local people in crisis.

Young visitors take a peek behind the scenes

Weds 1/12/21

Three groups of youngsters delivered an array of donations to the Food Hub at the end of November – and took the opportunity to enjoy a tour of our stores at Purley United Reformed Church and learn about how their contributions provide vital help to hard-pressed families.

Children from Harris Primary Academy, Kenley, delivered their food collection on the 24th and were keen to hear what happens to the food that people donate and how items are sorted, stored, then packed into parcels and delivered to clients’ homes.

The following day the 16th Purley Beavers colony, linked to All Saints Church, Sanderstead, visited us with more donations as part of their series of learning about ways to help the community.

Then on 29th November pupils from St Aidan’s Catholic Primary School in Coulsdon popped in with an amazing assortment of around 50 bags of donations before stopping for a quick photoshoot.

We really appreciate all your help and your interest, guys – hope you enjoyed your visit!

November 2021

Children’s treats make it a Christmas food list of two halves

Fri 26/11/21

Our December list of items most needed for our clients is a list of two halves.

The first part features six of our regular requests: cartons of long life whole milk, tins of chicken, ham & corned beef, packets of dried potato, tins of peas & carrots, tinned dessert fruit, and tinned or packet custard.

The second part focuses on four Christmas items especially for our clients’ children:

Christmas treats of chocolates/sweets
Alternative desserts to Christmas pudding
Biscuits – sweet or savoury
Christmas crackers

The idea for splitting the list to prioritise clients’ children came after one of our children’s Nursery supporters asked for a specific area of donations to concentrate on this Christmas.

“We thought it was a really good idea, so we have adopted it more generally for this month’s list,” says Louise Willmer, Acting Chair of the Management Committee. “I hope our donors and supporters may consider selecting one of these Christmas items as part of their donation.”

Purley Way store increases donations at the double

Weds 10/11/21

Big thanks to Morrisons customers and staff at Five Ways, Croydon.

What started out as a fortnightly collection of donations in October has already become weekly in November – pictured here is the first weekly collection made by our volunteer Brian on Monday (8th November).

The previous week Brian collected four full trolleyloads of donations – and twice while he was loading his car, shoppers gave him donations there and then!

October 2021

Vegetarian meals, dried potato and toddlers’ microwave meals most wanted in November

Weds 27/10/21

November’s list of priority items required for hard-pressed clients of the Food Hub is headed by vegetarian meals, packets of dried potato and microwaveable meals for toddlers.

Also listed are packets of soup and tinned or packet custard, along with tin openers for new clients, unisex shampoo and toilet rolls.

Please bring donations to Purley United Reformed Church (next to Purley Hospital) on Monday mornings between 9.00am and 12.00noon if possible, otherwise on Wednesday or Saturday mornings. Donations can also be left at any of our in-store or roadside collection points in Purley, South Croydon and Coulsdon.

Thank you to everyone for your overwhelming generosity. Since 2013 you have helped us provide close to 240,000 meals to clients and their families in food crisis.

What a magnificent Harvest response!

Mon 25/10/21

We have received the most magnificent number of food donations from schools, churches and many others this Harvest half term!

As a result, as well as being able to deliver hundreds upon hundreds of food parcels to our own struggling clients, we have been able also to supply food to the Purley and Monks Hill Food Stops, attended by many of our previously longer-term clients. On Saturday we were also able for the first time to provide 25 bags of items to the Fieldway Food Stop in New Addington.

We are so amazingly grateful to EVERYONE who has given us food, however much or little – every single item is important to us. We are truly very thankful for each can, packet, jar and bottle that we have been given.

In addition to all the other churches, schools and others we have already acknowledged here, thank you also to:

St Giles School, South Croydon
Birdhurst Nursery, South Croydon
St Mark’s and St Swithun’s Churches, Purley

Harvest food collections go into overdrive

Weds 20/10/21

Further generous food Harvest food collections have been pledged and/or received from local schools, nurseries and churches in the past two weeks.

Twenty three more schools, nurseries and churches have recently pledged donations. Adding in the 16 previously announced, the total number of Harvest deliveries and pledges now stands at 39.

Karen Barry, Head Teacher of Laleham Lea School, a longstanding supporter of the Food Hub, said: “We are delighted to help again this year and I would like to thank all of our families and staff for their generosity.

“Helping those in need is a key part of our Catholic ethos and we hope that this donation helps with the fantastic work the Food Hub does locally.”

The 23 most recent donors are:

SCHOOLS: Keston Primary, Old Coulsdon; St Nicholas, Purley; Harris Primary Academy Haling Park, South Croydon; Beaumont Primary, Purley; Foresters Primary, Wallington; Laleham Lea, Purley; St Peter’s Primary, South Croydon; Park Hill Infants, Croydon; Kenley Primary; Gresham Primary, South Croydon; Coulsdon C of E Primary.

NURSERIES: Number 9 The Nursery, South Croydon; Lemon Tree Montessori, Sanderstead.

CHURCHES: Purley United Reformed; Croham Road Baptist, South Croydon; St Mary Magdalene with St Martin, Addiscombe; St Mary’s, Sanderstead; St John’s, Old Coulsdon; St Margaret of Scotland Catholic, Carshalton Beeches; Old Coulsdon Congregational; St Augustine’s South Croydon; Grace Vineyard, Purley; Coulsdon Methodist.

Louise Willmer thanks Purley URC for their vital support during lockdown.

Annual Meeting hears how the Food Hub rose to the challenges of lockdown

Tues 12/10/21

Pandemic-defying donors, supporters and volunteers were warmly thanked by Trevor Jones, Chair of Trustees, at the Food Hub’s AGM on 5th October.

“After such a difficult 18 months, we have much to thank you for so that Covid never stopped us delivering food to those in need,” he said.

Trevor also thanked retiring Trustee Ivanka Lennon for her abiding passion and care for hard-pressed clients and their families, and welcomed two new Trustees, Rev Fiona Weaver, Vicar of St Mark’s and St Swithun’s Churches Purley, and Rev Lisa Fairman-Brown, Curate at Christ Church Purley.

Louise Willmer, Acting Chair of the Management Committee, expressed thanks to the Minister, Rev Russell Furley-Smith, and congregation of Purley United Reformed Church for use of the building throughout the pandemic to sort the mountains of food donated to the Food Hub and to pack the food parcels.

“We are also privileged to be able to share our food with the Purley and Monks Hill Food Stops, Nightwatch and The Link,” she said, adding that there were no immediate plans to change the current operation of delivering food direct to clients’ homes.

During the meeting there were also presentations by Julia Lee, our Client Support Volunteer; Pastor Nick Graves of the Purley Food Stop; and Sarah Burns from the co-ordinating support organisation Croydon Voluntary Action.

Short videos of each speaker at the AGM are available on our new Youtube channel here.

School and church Harvest donations arrive at the Food Hub

Fri 8/10/21

School Harvest food collections have now begun to be received at our base at Purley United Reformed Church – including large donations from Woldingham School and The Hayes Primary School, Kenley. In addition, five more church collections have arrived from: Sanderstead United Reformed; St Peter’s, South Croydon; Emmanuel, South Croydon; Whitethorn Methodist, Coulsdon, and St Andrew’s, Coulsdon.

Thank you all, we are so grateful for your support and for further Harvest donations in the pipeline.

September 2021

Jam, breakfast cereals and whole milk top October’s ‘most wanted’ list

Weds 29/9/21

Jars of raspberry and strawberry jam and small packets of breakfast cereals join cartons of long life whole milk at the top of the list of items needed most for Food Hub clients in October.

Tinned fish (particularly tuna) and dessert fruit and small jars of spicy pasta sauce are the other food items especially needed at this time. Unisex deodorant and female sanitary pads complete October’s list.

As always, donations can be brought to us at Purley United Reformed Church on Monday mornings from 9.00am – 12.00noon, otherwise on Wednesday or Saturday mornings. We also have more than two dozen in-store or roadside collection points where donations can be left.

We thank all of the Food Hub’s supporters for your continued generosity. Since 2013, you have kindly helped us to provide nearly 240,000 meals to struggling clients and their families.

First schools pledge their Harvest food collections

Tues 28/9/21

Nine schools and a children’s day nursery have already contacted the Food Hub to say they are donating their Harvest food collections to us this autumn. They are:

Woldingham School
Oasis Academy Byron, Coulsdon
The Hayes Primary, Kenley
Cumnor House Girls, Purley
Whitgift School, South Croydon
Harris Primary Academy, Kenley
Regina Coeli Catholic Primary, South Croydon
St David’s, Purley
Warlingham Park School
Little Apples Day Nursery, South Croydon

A BIG THANK YOU, ONE AND ALL!

As we begin the busy run-in towards Christmas, we warmly welcome food donations from schools, churches, businesses, organisations and others. For more information please contact Jean, our Administrator, by email at purleyfoodhub@gmail.com or by phone on 07546 635295.

Harvest food collections warmly welcomed again this year!

Tues 14/9/21

Every Autumn since the Food Hub started in 2013 we have been delighted to receive a bumper crop of Harvest food collections from schools, churches, businesses and other organisations.

These are very welcome as we begin the busy run-in towards Christmas. Last year nearly 30 schools and churches donated their Harvest collections to us…and again this autumn we will gratefully welcome all such donations of tins, jars and packets of long life, non-perishable food (unfortunately we cannot accept fresh items).

Our September list of most-needed items is available here, and October’s listing will be posted around 28th September. Donations can be brought to Purley United Reformed Church, next to Purley Hospital, preferably on Monday mornings from 9.00am to 12.00noon or else on Wednesday or Saturday mornings 10.00am-12.00noon.

If you are head of a school/college or a teacher or student, please contact Jean, our Administrator, by email to purleyfoodhub@gmail.com or phone 07546 635295. Thank you very much.

Come and help shape our future direction

Sun 12/9/21

All the Food Hub’s friends, supporters and volunteers are warmly invited to our Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 5th October, 7.15 for 7.30pm, at Christ Church Purley (between 861 & 863 Brighton Road, opposite the Rotary Field).

Guest speakers will include Pastor Nick Graves, who runs Purley Food Stop at Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church, Julia Lee, the Food Hub’s Client Support Volunteer and Sarah Burns, Head of Communities with Croydon Voluntary Action.

Ahead of the AGM, the Food Hub’s Annual Report has just been released. Its main item is the report from Food Hub Chair Trevor Jones, who addresses the issue of our future direction as pandemic restrictions are lifted. Supporting this are reports by the Trustees and Management Committee Acting Chair Louise Willmer.

Also featured are highlights of the past year’s activities in words, pictures and numbers, a round-up of new ways in working by our volunteers and supporters, an insight into the vital role of our Client Support Volunteer, and the annual financial statement.

August 2021

Milk, meat paste and dried potatoes head up September’s most-needed list

Tues 31/8/21

The eight priority items for donations to the Food Hub in September are led by cartons of long life milk, jars of meat paste & fish paste and packets of dried potatoes, along with jars of pasta sauce, tinned rice pudding and chocolate treats for children. Also listed are unisex shower gel…and more tin openers please!

Donations can be brought to Purley United Reformed Church (next to Purley Hospital) on Monday mornings ideally, or else on Wednesday or Saturdays mornings.

Thank you everyone for your continued generosity and support.

Second highest ever July total for meals delivered

Sun 1/8/21

In July we were able to deliver food for 2,619 meals to nearly 300 clients and family members in Purley, South Croydon, Coulsdon and Waddon – our second highest July total.

An agency which referred one of these clients to us has emailed to say: “[He] is still in food crisis. His stroke continues to affect his day to day mobility and he has a number of other ongoing medical issues. He recently had local council funding cut and at the moment the weekly food delivery is a LIFELINE for him.”

So a big thank you to everyone who kindly responded to our July appeal for food donations. As a result we not only had a good supply for our own clients but were again able to support our partner organisations, in particular Purley Food Stop at Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church, which is currently experiencing issues with sourcing long life food due to the national shortage of haulage drivers. We were also able to support Monks Hill Food Stop at St Francis Church, Selsdon.

Some of our previous clients have moved on to there as their circumstances have improved and they are now able to afford the £3.50 a week fee for food worth up to £20.

Considering it is now holiday time, donations are keeping up well, so it is good that we are able to pass on any surplus to the Food Stops and also to Croydon Nightwatch.

The Food Hub has long supported Nightwatch, whose volunteers are out each night in Queen’s Gardens in central Croydon giving food and assistance to homeless and other vulnerable people. Our weekly donation of 60 tins of soup and 12 bags of pasta provides enough for two of their seven nights.

As always, huge thanks to ALL of our loyal donors: churches, schools, small shops and superstores, a whole host of community organisations, and of course many individuals and families. Your generosity makes all the difference.

July 2021

Squash & juice, tea & coffee, jam & honey head August’s most-wanted list

Weds 28/7/21

Thank you so much to everyone who kindly responded to our July appeal for food donations.

As a result we not only had a good supply for our own clients but were also able to support Purley Food Stop at Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church, currently being very heavily used while still experiencing difficulty sourcing long life food to supplement the fresh and frozen food it offers.

Items we especially need during August please for hard-pressed clients and their families include small bottles of squash, cartons of long life fruit juice, small packets/boxes of tea bags, small jars of coffee, jars of jam and honey, and tinned meals suitable for vegetarians.

Also on our August most-wanted list are toddlers’ microwaveable meals and snacks, tinned and packet custard, unisex deodorant…and tin openers.
We are very grateful for your continued loyal support and generosity.

Donations can be brought to Purley United Reformed Church on Monday mornings between 9.00am and 12.00noon, or left at any of our other collection points.

Raising the bar! New food collection point at local gym

Mon 26/7/21

Thank you to the management and staff at Pure Gym Purley in the Royal Oak Centre, Brighton Road, for offering to host one of our collection points for food donations.

The collection basket is available daily to receive donations from the 1,500 members who use the gym on average in a 24-hour period. Local residents and other donors can also leave items at the gym (press the “Assistance” button on the door).

For a full list of all our local collection points please visit the Supporting the Food Hub page.

Thank you to school where giving is a key to progress

Tues 20/7/21

Thank you to the Year 8 pupils at Woodcote High School in Coulsdon for your food donations which 8W Form Tutor Nadia El-Laibi kindly brought to us.

“At Woodcote High, every year the Year 8s take part in a number of activities, one of them being Charity. They have to complete and pass all the activities in order to move onto Year 9. Giving to the Food Hub is a way we encourage the pupils to take part in the activities.”

Top marks all round for Haling Park primary school

Mon 19/7/21

We are very grateful to the children, staff and families of Harris Primary Academy Haling Park, South Croydon, for their huge collection of food delivered to us last week by Rob Hyneman, Head of Academy.

“It was an absolute pleasure to collect for the Food Hub, and hopefully we can do a similar collection next year,” said Mr Hyneman.

Very good neighbours collect a car-ful of food

Thurs 15/7/21

Residents in the Purley neighbourhood community of Woodcote Park Avenue, Verulam Avenue, Newton Road, Walburton Road and Hillcroft Avenue got together to hold a food collection for the Food Hub…and their generosity resulted in Pete and Nichola Robertson delivering a car full of items to us.

Pete (pictured) said: “Claire Bignell, a volunteer with the Food Hub, is part of our community and she suggested we organise the collection. It is a great opportunity to support an amazing local charity that makes a real difference to people’s lives and we will be intending to support the Food Hub on an ongoing basis.”

Thank you, very good neighbours!

July’s donations will also help our Food Stop partners

Thurs 1/7/21

As a result of the current haulage drivers shortage, our two Food Stop partners in Purley and Selsdon have had their long life food supplies seriously reduced.

They have asked us for supplies to help them over this period, and this is reflected in our July food list.

The list includes long life whole milk, tins of corned beef, chicken and tuna, packets of savoury biscuits, tinned tomatoes and jars of pasta sauce and curry sauce. Also listed are children’s chocolate treats, packets of microwave rice and tinned rice pudding, as well as unisex shampoo and small washing up liquid.

Thank you very much indeed for your generosity, especially at this difficult time for Purley and Selsdon Food Stops.

June 2021

Thank you for supporting us when shopping online

Mon 28/6/21

A big thank you to everyone who has signed up to our online shopping fundraising partners EasyFundraising and Amazon Smile. We have recently been notified that purchases made through Amazon Smile netted £31.81 in the latest quarter for the Food Hub, bringing our total through EasyFundraising and Amazon Smile to £121.23.

This income has been raised at no cost to our donors since it represents a percentage of the cost of people’s online purchases via the relevant websites.

If you shop on Amazon, you can support the Food Hub at the same time with no cost to yourself. You first have to set up an account at smile.amazon.co.uk – please note this is not the same as amazon.co.uk. Only purchases made through smile.amazon.co.uk are eligible.

Once you are logged in, type “purley food hub” (without quote marks) in the search box and follow the prompts. You can then shop on the Amazon site as normal. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of eligible purchases to the Food Hub.

EasyFundraising.org.uk, the UK’s biggest charity shopping site, is also a great cost-free way of supporting the Food Hub.
You have to sign up first, then when you are shopping online, instead of going directly to a retailer’s site, you log in to easyfundraising’s Purley Food Hub page first.

You then search for a retailer in the Search box at the top of the screen. If they’re listed, click on the link to visit their site and carry on shopping. The Food Hub will receive a donation based on what you spend.

You can also donate to the Food Hub via give.net, part of the Stewardship charity support organisation, or direct from your bank account. Full details are on our Donate page. A special thank you to you if you already use one of these methods – your ongoing support is hugely appreciated.

Food collection point set up at RBS branch in North End, Croydon

Fri 25/6/21

Staff at the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Croydon branch at 117-119 North End have kindly set up a collection point for people to bring donations for the Food Hub.

Pictured left to right are staff members Roxie, Marie and Sameer. Roxie, a personal banker at the branch, says: “There is no denying how difficult life has become for so many since the pandemic. Many of us take for granted the food we eat daily, but for some, going hungry is what they have become accustomed to.

“At RBS Croydon we are keen to reach out to the community and support the Food Hub. We know that by setting up a collection point here the help can be immediate for people in need. While our actions are small, we hope the gesture has far-reaching impact.”

Thank you Roxie and branch manager Peter and your team – we greatly appreciate your support.

School’s Pyjama Day charity effort works like a dream

Tues 15/6/21

Pictured left to right, Cumnor House Girls’ charity prefect Loveleen, deputy head girl Aleena and head girl Anoushka accompanied headmistress Amanda McShane to deliver a minibus full of food and other items to the Food Hub on Wednesday 9th June.

Their trip was the result of their latest charity day just before half term when in return for wearing pyjamas for the day, the 106 pupils brought in donations for the Food Hub.

Loveleen wrote afterwards: “The whole school came together and made an enormous effort in collecting all of these things from the pyjama day. It was truly amazing to see our whole stage filled with bags full of tins of meat and fruit, bags of sugar, tea bags, coffee, cup a soups, nappies and so much more. Our Cumnor families had been so generous.

“When we arrived at the Food Hub, we unloaded the minibus and unpacked all the bags into different categorised boxes and a volunteer explained to us how they deliver all of the food parcels to the people in need.

“It was good to see our Cumnor family donating to this cause and I hope we will be able to continue to help our local community. Remember, every person can make a difference!”

Second busiest May ever as we look to relax pandemic restrictions

Weds 9/6/21

Last month’s 2,655 meals delivered to nearly 300 Food Hub clients and their families made it our second busiest May to date (after the 4,590 meals in May last year in the first Covid-19 lockdown).

It means that so far in 2021 we have delivered 15,600 meals to struggling families, compared with 21,600 at this stage in 2020 and 11,700 in 2019.

Meanwhile, deliveries of food parcels to clients’ homes will continue for the foreseeable future, to be reviewed later this year with a possible return to food collections by clients in early 2022. The next step in our journey back to pre-pandemic operations will be to move the food stocks and distribution process from the rooms at the back of Purley United Reformed Church into the Sanctuary again, hopefully in July.

To help with this transition, from now on donations can be brought to Purley URC on Monday mornings between 9.00am-12.00noon.

During these hours we have our full team of sorters on duty, instead of on Wednesdays and Saturdays as at present. However, donations will still be accepted if deliveries on these days can’t be avoided.

We continue to thank everyone hugely for their kind generosity in supporting the Food Hub’s work. We are most grateful for each donation we receive – of our volunteers’ time and effort, and our supporters’ donations of food and money. Every hour, tin and pound really make a difference.

Thank you Shayan – and he’s already planning a fundraising follow-up!

Sun 6/6/21

We were delighted to welcome eight-year-old Shayan to the Food Hub yesterday (Saturday), along with his sister Anaiya, aged six, and dad Ravi, who kindly took the photos here.

Shayan raised just over £2,000 for us from his sponsored triathlon in the Easter school holiday, swimming 1500m, cycling 40km and running 10km.

During yesterday’s tour of the Food Hub, he and his Anaiya were able to put the finishing touches to a few of the food parcels being packed for delivery to clients during the morning, and we presented Shayan with our thank-you certificate for his money-raising feat.

He told us he is already planning another fundraiser with his friends for next Easter…!

May 2021

June food list reflects increase in referrals of families with babies

Mon 31/5/21

Our number of clients with very young children has sadly increased recently and this is reflected in our June food list which includes jars of food for babies aged 7 months and 10 months and baby wipes.

Other items requested are small jars of coffee, small tins of plain meat such as corned beef and chicken, long life whole milk, tinned carrots & sweetcorn and jellies & tinned dessert puddings.

Two further non-food items listed are washing powder tablets/pods and small bottles of washing up liquid.

Thank you so much everyone for your continued support.

Unexpected item from the bagging area

Mon 24/5/21

Our grateful thanks to everyone at the Wing Yip Croydon store in Purley Way for a donation of £2,000 received last week.

We are delighted to share this very generous contribution with three other local organisations who also provide food to people going through tough times:

The Vine food bank in New Addington
Purley Food Stop at Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church, and
St Francis Food Stop in Monks Hill, Selsdon.

“We are glad the money will be helping people that really need it,” said Heather Swindlehurst of Wing Yip. The money came from the sale of plastic carrier bags in the store.

Huge slice of thanks to Sudesh!

Mon 24/5/21

We extend our warm thanks to Sudesh Patel, owner of Londis Coulsdon at 229 Chipstead Valley Road, for his wonderful support during the Covid-19 pandemic.

For just over a year from April 2020, Sudesh and his team kept us supplied us with bread for our clients every Wednesday morning either free of charge or at low cost.

Thank you very much for your kindness, Sudesh and staff, we really appreciate it. We continue to have a collection basket at the store for donations to be left.

Purley Catenians present £900 cheque to Food Hub

Weds 19/5/21

Trevor Jones, Chair of Purley Food Hub, recently received a cheque for £900 from Mike Fisher (pictured on left) and Sean Sogeler from Purley Catenian Circle.

The Catenians is an organisation of Catholic men who meet socially and from time to time raise money for local good causes. The Purley group is made up of men who mainly worship at St John the Baptist Church, Dale Road.

Mike, the outgoing President, says: “Because of the Covid pandemic, our social activities have been severely curtailed but as a result we have saved a tidy sum of money! And so we would like to donate £900 to the Food Hub.”

Thank you Catenians for your generosity.

Croydon Families’ nearly new sale earns £105 for Food Hub

Mon 10/5/21

Local organisation Croydon Families runs nearly new sales for families to sell on maternity, baby and children’s clothes and other items they no longer need, to enable others to pick up good-quality brands at a fraction of the cost.

They have kindly donated to the Food Hub £105 from the door entry at their sale on May 1st at St Paul’s United Reformed Church, South Croydon.

Thank you for your support, Croydon Families!

Total number of meals delivered drops again in April

Fri 7/5/21

April’s total of 1,962 meals delivered to clients and family members was the first time since September 2019 that the monthly figure has dipped below 2,000.

The number of meals provided by the Food Hub has now fallen for three months in a row as we see a shift in the way people are accessing the food help they need.

As we noted last month, a number of our longer-term clients are no longer being referred to us because their situations have improved, or they are receiving extra support to help them manage. Other clients have been encouraged to move on to one of our local Food Stops:

Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church, Purley
St Francis Church, Monks Hill
Parchmore Methodist Church, Thornton Heath.

At a Food Stop, clients can choose up to £20 of food for £3.50 a week, as well as get help with the kind of problems that are often linked to food poverty.

We work closely with the Food Stops and other local organisations and are glad to be able to give them food as requested.

In the year ended 31st March, of the 92,000 items donated to the Food Hub we redistributed 7,200 to the Food Stops and others, including The Link drop-in centre for the homeless in Croydon, Croydon Nightwatch and Thomas More School, Purley, who provided pop-up food banks for Christmas and Easter.

This collaboration is exactly how we want things to work – the Food Hub acting as an emergency food bank helping people for the short term, while the Food Stops and our partner agencies help people in need to become more independent over the longer term.

In all this, one thing has not changed. Every tin, packet, jar, bottle or box kindly donated to the Food Hub goes to someone in crisis in the local area. Each item makes a real difference, and we and our clients are hugely grateful to each and every donor for their generosity and support.

Boot-iful food-raising by the Beavers!

Tues 4/5/21

Fifteen children from the 29th Purley Woodland Beavers – part of the Scout group at Purley Baptist Church – have completed a sponsored mini marathon for the Food Hub.

At the suggestion of the Beaver Scout Leader (BSL) Sheila, instead of asking their families and friends for money donations, the youngsters asked for items from our food list…and ended up more than filling the boot of Sheila’s car!

Her fellow BSL Kirsten said: “The children did between 15 and 26 laps each of half of a football pitch at Coulsdon Common. They over-filled Sheila’s car boot with food donations, which she delivered to the Food Hub the following day, and we may have more to come this week.”

Thank you Sheila and Kirsten and the 29th Purley Beavers. Here’s a little token of our appreciation!

Big thanks for £350 donation of toiletries

Mon 3/5/21

A big thank-you for a donation to the Food Hub of £350 worth of toiletry items, arranged by a local GP and pharmacy.

Valley Pharmacy in Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, runs a Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Aidan’s Church Hall with the help of local volunteers. “The vaccinators themselves are professionals but many of them also want to do it as unpaid volunteers,” says Amish Patel, Superintendent Pharmacist at Valley Pharmacy, part of Infohealth Ltd.

One of the vaccinators, Purley GP Ashik Patel, offers his services on his day off and made it clear to Amish from the start that he wanted to do it strictly on an unpaid basis and give his fees to charity.

Amish says: “I thought hard about which charity to support and then it occurred to me to support Purley Food Hub” – and Ashik readily agreed.

Ashik’s fees to date come to £350 – and this week our volunteer driver Eddie collected boxes of deodorants, soap, toothpaste and shower gel from Valley Pharmacy…to the value of £350.

So, thank you to Ashik for donating your fees, and to Amish for thinking of the Food Hub. In addition, Amish and his staff support the Food Hub with a separate monthly donation of toiletries.

April 2021

Rice, fish, pulses and fruit top list of food items needed in May

Thurs 29/4/21

Microwaveable packets of rice and tins of fish, pulses and fruit head up the items we need most for Food Hub clients in May.

Long life whole milk is also on the list, together with bars of soap and unisex deodorant…and, for the first time, disinfectant sprays and wipes for clients living in multi-occupancy homes and sharing facilities.

Donations can be brought to us at Purley United Reformed Church on Wednesday and Saturday mornings or to around 20 other collection points in South Croydon, Sanderstead, Purley and Coulsdon. Thank you everyone – our clients are so grateful for your support at this time.

Sporting superstar Shayan raises £2,000

Weds 28/4/21

Food parcels were delivered for 46 clients and family members on Saturday…taking us past 25,000 people fed and 225,000 meals provided since our launch in 2013.

To date, food has been provided to 3,452 clients on a combined total of 10,582 occasions, serving 25,019 people. At three meals a day for three days for each person, it’s equivalent to 225,171 meals.

To enable this to happen, we once again thank everyone who donates food to us, and all our many volunteers involved in sorting donations, packing the food parcels and delivering them to our clients across Purley, Coulsdon and South Croydon.

We pass latest landmark of 25,000 people fed

Mon 12/4/21

Food parcels were delivered for 46 clients and family members on Saturday…taking us past 25,000 people fed and 225,000 meals provided since our launch in 2013.

Inspired by Rashford, Shayan goes for goal

Weds 7/4/21

Our newest – and youngest – supporter is eight-year-old Shayan, a pupil at St David’s School, Purley. Inspired by footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign to help schoolchildren going without enough to eat, he is raising money for the Food Hub by doing his own Olympic-style triathlon.

Over his Easter school holiday Shayan has pledged to undertake an ambitious and gruelling programme of swimming, cycling and distance running.

He said: “While watching the Marcus Rashford TV documentary about children going hungry, I was inspired by him and I wanted to do something to help those who don’t have enough to eat. Talking to my mum and dad about the Tokyo Summer Olympics made me think of doing a triathlon.

“Over 10 days I will swim 1500m, cycle 40km and run 10km. The money raised will go to Purley Food Hub as they do an amazing job feeding the community. Please donate as much as you can. It will make a big difference to people’s lives.”

Thank you so much, Shayan. Welcome to the team!

Further details are on Shayan’s fundraising page here.

Pressure eases in March but demand remains high

Weds 7/4/21

The number of meals delivered to Food Hub clients and their families reduced again in March to 2,889. Nevertheless it was still our second busiest March since we began in 2013, behind March last year when 5,067 meals (our highest-ever monthly total) were provided at the start of the first Covid-19 lockdown.

March 2021’s total takes to just over 11,000 the number of meals already delivered so far this year.

Part of the reduction is due to a number of our long-term clients successfully moving on to become more food independent – for example, going to Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church’s Food Stop where they can buy up to £20 of fresh food a week for £3.50.

Many are also getting help from our referring agencies to address the underlying issues which have forced them to seek our support.

This is how it should be, since we are an emergency food bank helping people in dire need for the short term. However, the need for our services unfortunately continues and is likely to do so for the foreseeable future.

We continue to be amazed and delighted by the generosity of our magnificent volunteers, donors and supporters for each and every donation of time, food and money that we receive. THANK YOU ALL!

March 2021

Coffee, milk, ready meals and potatoes top April’s most-needed list

Mon 29/3/21

Eight items, headed by small jars of coffee and cartons of long life whole milk, feature in our most-needed list for clients in April.

Tinned ready meals and packet and tinned potatoes are also listed, along with tinned dessert fruit and cartons of long life fruit juice. Non-food items requested are toilet rolls and toothpaste.

Donations can be brought to Purley United Reformed Church or any of our other collection points.

Thank you everyone for your continuing support – you have enabled us to provide nearly 225,000 meals since 2013.

In memory of Food Hub veteran Derek Harris

Weds 17/3/21

The funeral service for Derek Harris, one of the Food Hub’s most active workers, who died on 17th February, will be held on Monday, 22nd March, at 11am.

Derek and his wife Helen were founder members of Purley Food Hub in 2013. Derek made a huge contribution to our work over the years and fulfilled many roles, most recently as Treasurer and a member of the Board of Trustees. Please remember Helen and the family in your prayers at this time.

In lieu of flowers in Derek’s memory the family have chosen two charities close to his heart: International Needs and Marie Curie. You can donate by going to the respective JustGiving pages

Arrangements have been made for the service to be live-streamed on the internet. If you would like to view the webcast, please send us an email and we will send you the web link and sign-in details.

February is the quietest month – and another record-breaker

Tues 2/3/21

After an extremely busy December and January, the number of meals delivered by the Food Hub fell by almost a quarter in February. The total was 3,501, compared to 4,644 in each of the previous two months.

The dip was not unexpected – February has been quieter than January every year since 2015. In fact it is normally our quietest month of the year. Nevertheless 2021 was still our busiest February ever, with nearly 100 more meals delivered compared to 2020, and 73% more than in 2019.

It is also significant that nine of our top ten busiest-ever months have occurred in the past year, so the overall trend is still decisively upwards. If March 2020 (5,067 meals) is any indication we can expect a lively few weeks ahead.

Behind the statistics lie real human stories, and one testimonial received this month from a client gives a good illustration of this:

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire Purley Food Hub team, as we really appreciate your kind support during this difficult time. I cannot express how much it has helped me to recover from my struggle as a single Mum with four kids and no access to public funding. Hope that I will find a way to thank you all one day. Thank you all for what you do for us.”

We couldn’t meet this need without our superb army of volunteers and supporters. Local neighbourhood and social media initiatives are becoming increasingly popular. We now have 16 yellow One Tin bins collecting supplies as well as dedicated trolleys in shops and supermarkets. Thanks once again to Croydon Covid-19 Mutual Aid for providing the bins, and to everyone hosting them and contributing items.

Current collection points are listed at the top of this item. Donations can also be delivered on Wednesday and Saturday mornings to Purley United Reformed Church – the door is at the end of the roadway along the left side of the church building from Brighton Road. Thank you so much for your support.

February 2021

Derek Harris

Sat 27/2/21

It is with great sadness that we report that Derek Harris, one of the Food Hub’s most active and faithful servants, passed away in the early hours of 17th February.

Derek, together with his wife Helen, was a founder member of Purley Food Hub in 2013.

Over the years he served in many different roles, most recently as Treasurer. He also served on the Food Hub Board of Trustees, stepping down at last October’s AGM.

He will be greatly missed by us all and our thoughts and prayers are with Helen and the family.

Honey honey, sugar sugar …

Weds 24/2/21

Our list of Most Needed Items in March is headed by jars of honey and small (500g) bags of sugar. We are also in need of small jars of coffee, as well as jars of fish paste, tins of pulses (e.g kidney beans and chickpeas) and tinned potatoes. Custard (packets & tinned), jellies, toilet rolls and bars of soap complete the list.

Items can be taken to Purley United Reformed Church in Brighton Road on Wednesdays and Saturdays or left at one of our many neighbourhood collection points.

Thank you very much for your support.

Georgia’s ‘cup of coffee’ appeal delivers goodies galore

Fri 19/2/21

We’re often told that the pandemic means that we have to find new ways of doing things. One enterprising young Food Hub supporter has taken that message to heart – with spectacular results.

Georgia, 23, lives in Sanderstead and currently works at Purley Tesco. Using the power of social media she appealed for cash contributions from family and friends.

Her appeal was so successful that over consecutive Wednesdays in January and February Georgia and her dad did three major food shops, using our regular monthly list of Most Needed Items as a guide. Result: multiple carloads of food and toiletries delivered to the Food Hub and the prospect of more to come.

Georgia said: “I kept seeing stories about the huge rise in the demand for food banks during the pandemic, and with lockdown it’s unlikely that many people can get out and donate as they might normally do.

“So I thought it would be a lot easier for people to send me money directly and I could shop on their behalf and donate the items to the Food Hub. I promoted my idea on my Instagram page and Whatsapp group chats with a suggested donation of £3, the price of a cup of coffee.

“I was overwhelmed with the generosity of my lovely friends and family and raised a total of £420. I did think about donating the money directly but decided I would enjoy it much more if I was able to choose the items myself and see what the money was going towards, and also send pictures of what we bought to those who had donated.

“Hopefully my efforts encourage others in the future to do the same, as it’s so important to support the local community. One of my friends did the same in her local area in Buckinghamshire after seeing the success I had with donations, and she raised over £800! I look forward to doing lots more collections like this in the future.”

Our heartfelt thanks to Georgia and her family and friends. Thank you all very much indeed.

Donations loaded and delivered by the carload!

Sun 14/2/21

Among the donations brought to the Food Hub yesterday (Saturday) was a carload of bags delivered by Eddie and wife Denise and received by volunteer Stephen.

The donations came from the neighbours of Eddie (also a Food Hub volunteer) and Denise who had dropped off the items at our latest collection point at their home in Lordship Field, Wallington, as well as from Denise’s colleagues in Purley Inner Wheel and from new supporter Sheelagh in Caterham Drive, Old Coulsdon.

Thank you all.

Thanks for items dropped off at Paul Meakin

Thurs 11/2/21

Adelle from Paul Meakin estate agents kindly delivered this trolleyload of donations to us yesterday (Wednesday).

The firm’s three South Croydon branches are now all collection points for local people, clients and staff to drop off their donations for the Food Hub.

Busier than ever – January figures set new records

Mon 1/2/21

2021 has got off to the busiest of starts, with 4,644 meals provided in January to 516 clients and family members.

That’s 1,065 more meals than in the same month last year, making it the busiest January since we began in 2013. Coincidentally, January’s total was the same as December’s, making the past two months our joint third busiest overall.

One grateful client sent this message via Instagram: “Thank you so much for delivering to me and my family yesterday, you are all so kind and your work is so valuable. If you ever need an extra pair of hands, please let me know and I will be happy to help in any way I can. ”

Thanks to the excellent team of volunteers who we are able to call on, we aren’t in need of extra help at the present time for sorting, packing and delivering food. Instead, we are asking new enquirers to consider organising a food collection among family, friends and neighbours.

Road collections among neighbours are a great source of food donations for us, including in Furze Lane and Purley Bury Avenue, Purley; Redford Road, Coulsdon; Cumberlands, Kenley; and newcomers Farmdale Road, Carshalton.

And we are delighted that there are now 14 locations in South Croydon, Sanderstead, Coulsdon and Purley where supporters are kindly hosting wheelie bin collection points for local people to drop off food donations (see map above). The distinctive yellow bins are generously provided as part of the One Tin initiative organised by Croydon Covid-19 Mutual Aid.

We continue to thank every single one of our volunteers, donors and supporters for your contributions and donations of time, food and money – big and small – and to all of the churches, schools, businesses and organisations which give so generously. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

January 2021

Sugar, hot chocolate drink and peanut butter top February’s most wanted list

Sat 30/1/21

During February small 500g bags of sugar, hot chocolate drink requiring only water and jars of peanut butter and fish paste and meat paste head up the monthly list of items most needed for our clients.

Small bottles of squash and cartons of long life fruit juice are also listed, along with packets of dried potato, tinned fruit and microwavable meals for toddlers aged 1-2 years. Non-food items needed are washing powder tablets/capsules, unisex deodorant and small unisex shampoo.

Thank you everyone for your support.

Cumberlands’ reel good show!

Thurs 28/1/21

Until the pandemic, Food Hub supporter Jill made her food donations each month through Kenley Flyers WI, so last spring when Lockdown 1 put a stop to the Flyers meeting together she had to rethink.

She knew we would be facing increased demand for weekly food parcels and came up with the idea of collecting items from her neighbours in Cumberlands, a cul-de-sac off Kenley Lane. Through the road’s WhatsApp group she asked if anyone would join her family in collecting for the Food Hub and a few households came forward, agreeing on a weekly collection.

So each Monday Jill sends a message to the group reminding them to add a few items to their weekly shopping order and leaves her garage open on Tuesday from 12noon – 9pm to receive the donations. She delivers the bags to the Food Hub on Wednesday morning and follows up with a thank-you message to the residents.

The original few has now grown to 20 of the 49 households, with others donating occasionally. Jill prints off our monthly food list and delivers it with a handwritten note thanking everyone “for your continuing support.” She says, “We are delighted to be able to support families going through such hard times, while at the same time fostering neighbour togetherness.”

14 One Tin Bins now collecting for the Food Hub

Sat 23/1/21

We now have a total of FOURTEEN One Tin Bin collection points for supporters’ food donations in South Croydon, Purley, Kenley and Coulsdon – and more big yellow bins are planned to appear at locations around the borough in the near future.

The distinctive yellow wheelie bins have been kindly provided for us by Croydon Covid-10 Mutual Aid (CCMA), and also for some other food banks in the borough. We are very grateful to everyone hosting a bin for us and to Ben and the team at CCMA.

Paul Meakin branches become new collection points

Fri 22/1/21

The three South Croydon branches of Paul Meakin estate agents have become food collection points for the Food Hub where local people can drop off their donations.

“We are happy to be able to help,” says Adelle Gibson, colleague of director Emma Meakin.

The branches are at 77-79 Mitchley Avenue, Riddlesdown; 13 Limpsfield Road, Sanderstead; and 216 Addington Road, Selsdon.

Thank you very much, Adelle, Emma and everyone at Paul Meakin – we are delighted to have you on board with us!

A very busy start to 2021

Sun 10/1/21

2021 has started as busy for the Food Hub as 2020 ended. So far after our first three sessions in January, we have delivered food parcels for 165 clients and family members. At three meals a day for three days for each person, that’s equivalent to 1,485 meals.

Saturday’s team leader Zivile reported: “The session was very busy indeed. We received lots of donations, they kept streaming in during the entire length of the morning. We also had two cheques – of £350 from Woodmansterne Baptist Church and £50 from an individual – and £30 from someone who didn’t give their name.”

Thank you everyone for your wonderful support continuing into 2021.

‘Life would be so much harder without the Food Hub’

Sat 9/1/21

Residents at a group home in South Croydon have expressed their sincere thanks for the food parcels they have been receiving from the Food Hub. Elizabeth wrote to us:

“My partner and I thank you all so much for your kindness and food parcels. Not only from us but from all the residents here. We all live in shared accommodation in South Croydon owned by a charity.

“We all have varying degrees of mental health issues and physical health issues. Last year my partner had a stroke then a heart attack in November.

“Life would be so much harder for all of us here if it was not for all your wonderful help. So happy new year to you all, God bless you and keep you safe. Thank you x”

New website for a New Year!

Fri 1/1/21

Today (New Year’s Day 2021) we launch our brand new Purley Food Hub website.

The old site has served us well for a number of years but we began receiving feedback that it was no longer user friendly. So, with massive thanks to our web designer Tom, we trust that you – whether client, volunteer, donor or supporter – will find this new site easier to navigate and that it tells you everything you wish to know about supporting and using the Food Hub.

We would be glad to receive your comments about the new site: what works well for you or not so well, and if there’s something missing that we need to add.

Thank you – we look forward to hearing from you! Why not send us a message through our new Contact form?