Tower Hamlets Council is coordinating an emergency food appeal on behalf of food banks in the borough. We have seen a huge increase in the amount of people needing help with food over the course of the pandemic and as we continue through the second wave, this service remains vital. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been able to support 31 food banks to help 6,000 residents a week access food. However, the high and ongoing cost of dealing with Covid-19, as well as future uncertainty around local government funding, is placing a heavy financial burden on the council. We are asking partners, local businesses, staff and residents to please donate to our urgent appeal. We need your help to raise at least £5,000 a month towards our appeal so we can continue to buy and distribute food to local food banks. The overall amount of money needed is significant, but this contribution from our communities will be greatly appreciated.

What we'll deliver:

• Run campaign to raise £5,000 per month to continue proving food support for vulnerable residents
• Distribute funds at the end of each month to 31 food banks in the borough so they can plan their support for the month

Why it's a great idea:

Since April, the council has distributed an incredible 190 tonnes of food to those who needed it and invested £750,000 through its resident support scheme, but Covid-19 has had a huge impact on our finances. Despite making £200m in savings since 2010, we now need to save a further £30m, while seeing a rise in demand for services. We must keep up momentum with helping our food banks and need as much support as possible through donations and corporate sponsorship. £5 could buy a family (two adults and three children) a package of essential toiletries £10 could buy a family a package of essential food items, including rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes, oil, spices, potatoes, onions and garlic £20 could buy a family a package of toiletries and food listed above, as well as nuts, honey, cereals, mixed vegetables, plant-based milk and salt. Spacehive is waiving its fee for this project so all donations will be going to the campaign, minus the GoCardless transaction fee of 1.2 per cent

Steps to get it done:

• Collect pledges monthly once the campaign target has been reached
• Confirm the amount of money available each month for each of the 31 food bank partners so they can plan support
• Distribute food to those families most in need
• Re-start the campaign for the next month

Other ways to help If you want to help but can’t support financially at the moment, Tower Hamlets Volunteer Centre can connect you to a volunteering opportunity through our Volunteer Hub. More than 2,300 people have signed up through the hub since the start of the pandemic, and volunteers have played a key role in the community response to Covid-19. Our incredible volunteers carry out roles such as driving personal protective equipment to carer’s homes, delivering shopping to housebound residents and helping distribute food supplies to foodbanks. Find out more and sign up: https://www.vcth.org.uk/ Thank you With your help we can make a real difference to people in our borough. This year has been challenging for everyone, but we hope that by supporting our local food banks we can make things a bit easier for those needing food support.