28.05.2020
News of our home cooked meals to those who are in accomdation with inadequate cooking facilities or who are not confident cooks has spread and we are getting more clients referred to us each week. This client group, mostly older single men, no longer have access to the many cafes along Cricklewood Broadway, Willesden Green, Kilburn etc and not only are they missing out on their daily meal they are missing our on the social interaction with likeminded people. We have a great team of volunteers who drop the meals twice a week and are enjoying getting to know these interesting characters. It seems such a simple thing – providing meals – but we have had to steep learning curve and costly time getting this project up and running. We could not do it without the support of our volunteer drivers and a team of four queueing at the shops, getting hard to obtain food containers and portioning meals individual portions. There is a bigger demand now on food supplies due to growth in foodbanks and mutual aid groups catering to many other needy groups.
This vulnerable group of people are doubly isolated now as they are not digitally connected and are missing the social interaction they had per Covid. We are offering a IT Literacy training programme by rolling out tablets on a loan system. Our drivers are spending time with the client teaching them how to use the tablet. Many are very daunted by the prospect of the internet but we are confident that we have a group of fast learners and look forward to getting them connected to the online world.
