21.08.2020
Mutual Aid Food Willesden (MAFW) has been providing food aid throughout the emergency, focusing on people living in Brent. It’s been run by nearly 200 volunteers from local Mutual Aid Groups (MAG) who give their time to deliver food parcels and fund- raise around the borough. 9000 people so far have benefited from this work, including clients from Ashford Place. This phase of the project is winding down at the end of August and we at Ashford Place are entering into an agreement with MAFW to help those people who have relied on emergency food aid and other valuable support to get the advice and support they need longer term. Having worked in partnership since March with our local MAG, Ashford Place see the ongoing need within the community as a good reason to continue this vital work post Covid and are looking to formalise our relationships as we believe there is so much potential to work together to build stronger and healthier communities. We are having discussions, not only on food aid and medication, but on other varied and exciting initiatives to support our residents in the communities. We are especially looking at how we can tackle health inequalities together across our borough. We believe that this is an excellent opportunity to provide local services for local people in local places through combined resources and reach even more vulnerable and disadvantaged residents in Brent.
Mutual Aid is a volunteer run, grass roots community movement who are self-organised community network of volunteers. Over the past few months they have recruited hundreds of volunteers across the borough and developed systems for meeting the needs of their neighbours. They are formed along Ward lines and you can find a ward on this link.
