Food Bank Stories (2020) Community Cook-Up, Northumberland Park estate in Tottenham is a grassroots voluntary organisation which specialises in food and community solidarity providing housing advice, advocacy, clothing, food bank, a hot meal and social space.
“A regular said to me he wouldn’t know what to do without us. Thank goodness we exist.”
Veena Sharma
I am retired and was looking for voluntary work at the time, it felt good to be part of a team and meet dedicated, committed people who want to make a difference. I get a lot from volunteering, knowing that people really appreciate what we do, it’s lovely to be able to treat someone and give the basics such as food and clothing, things we should have anyway. Although I am missing being able to chat, hear stories and get to know people, I am in awe of how people survive and are so resilient it makes you feel humble and grateful. My role at the food bank is front of house meet and greet, I like getting to know people why they have come and what their needs are, I can also signpost to other support such as advocacy. I used to like sitting, eating and talking with people at Cook-Up which we can’t do now. Being able to greet by name and see people looking OK is quite a pleasure. We are seeing about 50% of the regulars the rest are new people. Seeing people’s faces light up and saying thank you for what we provide there’s also an element of surprise that we are able to give a choice.
“I enjoy the practical side, the interaction, it feels good to give back and be around people.” Nandi Maseko
I’m a Radiography student at University, I got involved with the food bank through a recommendation from a relative. Here, I oversee and advise on health and safety as I have knowledge on how to operate clinically and have had infection control training. I am located out front maintaining the queue, social distancing and chatting with people, everyone has been cooperative. People are saying they want to do their bit at the same time as feeling a bit fed up, annoyed and distrusting of government advise, the general feeling is lockdown should have happened earlier. People are getting used to the new rules and now government want to change them again proposing an ease on lockdown. These changes can make our job more difficult. Volunteering is rewarding it’s the only thing going on in my life at the moment, something productive I can do in addition to my Uni work.
I’m a Radiography student at University, I got involved with the food bank through a recommendation from a relative. Here, I oversee and advise on health and safety as I have knowledge on how to operate clinically and have had infection control training. I am located out front maintaining the queue, social distancing and chatting with people, everyone has been cooperative. People are saying they want to do their bit at the same time as feeling a bit fed up, annoyed and distrusting of government advise, the general feeling is lockdown should have happened earlier. People are getting used to the new rules and now government want to change them again proposing an ease on lockdown. These changes can make our job more difficult. Volunteering is rewarding it’s the only thing going on in my life at the moment, something productive I can do in addition to my Uni work.
“It feels really good to feel useful as well as wishing that we didn’t need to be.” Connie Smith
I am a social anthropologist researcher from Manchester University, I was starting some new research around housing, community and building community networks in North London. My role at Cook-Up before Coronavirus involved general helping out, washing up, talking to people, organising the Oyster card and phone top-ups. Since we became a food bank I’ve been doing the grocery bags, helping with planning and organising food when it arrives and packing up the bags. I think it’s really good that Community Cook-Up has kept on going for a while it wasn’t clear if we could, there’s a really big need, more people are coming not just the regulars saying they need food. I’m half volunteer and half researcher so I have my ear out for interesting stories, I was just starting to do some proper interviews when it stopped, some of the people I had lined up to interview and then couldn’t are quite vulnerable I haven’t seen them at all as they are completely self-isolating so we just talk on the phone. A few people I’ve spoken to have said they really miss the social aspect of the service. Lots of homeless people were being sheltered in hotels however councils were not providing any other support like food, mental health support, homing pets, addiction issues, also being placed all over London. I remember one guy saying “I need a door, I want to feel safe, I also need my people”.
“Guests come for a hearty meal it’s a shame we can’t do it more often.” Desree and Alex
Alex: I became involved with Community Cook-Up when whilst volunteering at another project which supports local people who may be vulnerable or are on low incomes. I had the time so went into it, I enjoyed the experience and became part of the cooking team that’s why I am continuing doing this at the food bank. It’s always close to my heart to help people and I thought why not during this time when people really need it more than ever. When it comes to supporting people in need through food we are ready to oblige as long as we have the ingredients. During the usual Cook-Up service we support individuals to learn food prep and cooking skills and go out to serve the people as well. Today we’re making roasted vegetables with lentil stew, pasta and game casserole, ingredients are dependent on what we get from The Felix Project. Desree: I’ve been doing community work for over 15 years when I got involved at Community Cook-Up, I love to feed people whether it’s professionally or socially, I’m always cooking, inviting people over. I do a lot of catering in the community, I think food brings people together physically as well as emotionally.
“It’s good for your own soul to volunteer.” Robert
A couple of years ago I found myself homeless, thankfully I came to Community Cook-Up who helped me sort out accommodation. It meant so much to me that I thought it would be good to become a volunteer and help people who are in a similar situation. My usual role at Cook-up is to cut people’s hair as resident barber however I am unable to provide a service at the moment. At the food bank I help unload the food when it arrives, preparing and giving out the food bags and hot meals, cleaning, rubbish and recycling, whatever is necessary. Being in a similar situation, I have understanding and empathy, it’s frustrating seeing people in this situation so being here I can help. I’m almost in tears the way people are so grateful that they can get stuff and that we don’t make them feel embarrassed. If we have got it we can give it, simple as that. If anyone has anything they don’t need (as in this current situation people are realising they have more than they need) then we can put it to good use.
A couple of years ago I found myself homeless, thankfully I came to Community Cook-Up who helped me sort out accommodation. It meant so much to me that I thought it would be good to become a volunteer and help people who are in a similar situation. My usual role at Cook-up is to cut people’s hair as resident barber however I am unable to provide a service at the moment. At the food bank I help unload the food when it arrives, preparing and giving out the food bags and hot meals, cleaning, rubbish and recycling, whatever is necessary. Being in a similar situation, I have understanding and empathy, it’s frustrating seeing people in this situation so being here I can help. I’m almost in tears the way people are so grateful that they can get stuff and that we don’t make them feel embarrassed. If we have got it we can give it, simple as that. If anyone has anything they don’t need (as in this current situation people are realising they have more than they need) then we can put it to good use.
“My biggest success is when someone sees long term what I am trying to do.” Jack Rynski
At the beginning I was a service user like the others, then I was asked if I would like to help as a volunteer with The Felix Project,
I then became involved as an admin for Community Cook-Up. At the beginning, the role involved form filling and filing paperwork then I started as a translator as quite a few of our service users are Polish. I started making referrals for homeless people through different local authorities, since Cook-Up began operating as a food bank my advocacy role has increased and many people are making contact. I have made quite a few successful referrals for example people living on the street moving on into temporary accommodation, from there they can look for something more stable. My role requires being on call 24 hours seven days a week, last night I received a phone call after midnight from Street Link as one of their guests I had referred had gone missing. I had to find him quickly and send him to the place where they were waiting for him, now he’s in a hotel. A common experience for homeless people is theft of their belongings with all their documents. I feel happy if I succeed in getting someone into accommodation. Before I came to the UK my job in Poland was a scientist in a laboratory doing haematology, serology and pathology which is completely different to what I do now. I am permitted to study a PHD here in the UK it’s just lacks of time, money and I’m getting older, I would like to do laboratory work again.
At the beginning I was a service user like the others, then I was asked if I would like to help as a volunteer with The Felix Project,
I then became involved as an admin for Community Cook-Up. At the beginning, the role involved form filling and filing paperwork then I started as a translator as quite a few of our service users are Polish. I started making referrals for homeless people through different local authorities, since Cook-Up began operating as a food bank my advocacy role has increased and many people are making contact. I have made quite a few successful referrals for example people living on the street moving on into temporary accommodation, from there they can look for something more stable. My role requires being on call 24 hours seven days a week, last night I received a phone call after midnight from Street Link as one of their guests I had referred had gone missing. I had to find him quickly and send him to the place where they were waiting for him, now he’s in a hotel. A common experience for homeless people is theft of their belongings with all their documents. I feel happy if I succeed in getting someone into accommodation. Before I came to the UK my job in Poland was a scientist in a laboratory doing haematology, serology and pathology which is completely different to what I do now. I am permitted to study a PHD here in the UK it’s just lacks of time, money and I’m getting older, I would like to do laboratory work again.
“Community Cook-Up aims to create a sense of belonging within a community at whatever level people wish to be involved.” Alison Davy
I’ve been coordinating Community Cook-Up for some years, when the Covid-19 crisis started we realised it could not continue to offer what we were doing so well which was bringing people together in a social supportive environment to develop friendships and community cohesion. We knew that food poverty in the area hadn’t changed very much over the years and the pandemic prevented some people from getting to shops as their economic situation had worsened so providing food seemed really important. We provide a cooked meal and a bag of groceries with fresh fruits, veg, drinks, milk and eggs which compliment tins and dried food that other community food banks provide. Due to the social support people need we set up phone links and top-ups to keep in touch. We have provided some financial support to street homeless people who were moved into hotels and have no recourse to public funds. People can receive advocacy around eviction issues and poor treatment towards those being accommodated in a local homelessness hostel. We’ve also been getting clothes and furniture to people. We work closely with Connected Communities in helping to identify who may need extra support and we have referred people to the Bridge Renewal Trust for help with EU settlement status. On a personal level it’s been very positive to be involved with my community on different levels because you can help people join the dots between all the different issues they are experiencing and encourage people to play an active role in making change happen.
I’ve been coordinating Community Cook-Up for some years, when the Covid-19 crisis started we realised it could not continue to offer what we were doing so well which was bringing people together in a social supportive environment to develop friendships and community cohesion. We knew that food poverty in the area hadn’t changed very much over the years and the pandemic prevented some people from getting to shops as their economic situation had worsened so providing food seemed really important. We provide a cooked meal and a bag of groceries with fresh fruits, veg, drinks, milk and eggs which compliment tins and dried food that other community food banks provide. Due to the social support people need we set up phone links and top-ups to keep in touch. We have provided some financial support to street homeless people who were moved into hotels and have no recourse to public funds. People can receive advocacy around eviction issues and poor treatment towards those being accommodated in a local homelessness hostel. We’ve also been getting clothes and furniture to people. We work closely with Connected Communities in helping to identify who may need extra support and we have referred people to the Bridge Renewal Trust for help with EU settlement status. On a personal level it’s been very positive to be involved with my community on different levels because you can help people join the dots between all the different issues they are experiencing and encourage people to play an active role in making change happen.
“I feel part of a special team of people doing something which is necessary.” Wendy Charlton
I started volunteering at Community Cook-Up in November 2019 initially on a social and conversational level then later facilitating art workshops. We start the day with food prep, there are food deliveries from various suppliers which need sorting out, some items like tea, coffee and sugar need bagging up individually. At the moment we are providing around 150 hot meals and 70-100 grocery bags for people who have access to kitchen and cooking facilities and those who do not. We receive a wide range of food produce which varies each week essentials such as bread, milk, fresh vegetables and fruit, snacks and drinks to pre-prepared sandwiches. There is also a selection of fresh hot meals made on site in the kitchen, both vegetarian and meat options. Over the months we have developed and finely tuned a system so that we are ready to serve people with much needed food essentials, it’s working well and people keep coming back every week. As I am situated inside the venue I don’t really have much face to face contact with people who use the service however I see the joy and gratuity on people’s faces from inside looking out.
I started volunteering at Community Cook-Up in November 2019 initially on a social and conversational level then later facilitating art workshops. We start the day with food prep, there are food deliveries from various suppliers which need sorting out, some items like tea, coffee and sugar need bagging up individually. At the moment we are providing around 150 hot meals and 70-100 grocery bags for people who have access to kitchen and cooking facilities and those who do not. We receive a wide range of food produce which varies each week essentials such as bread, milk, fresh vegetables and fruit, snacks and drinks to pre-prepared sandwiches. There is also a selection of fresh hot meals made on site in the kitchen, both vegetarian and meat options. Over the months we have developed and finely tuned a system so that we are ready to serve people with much needed food essentials, it’s working well and people keep coming back every week. As I am situated inside the venue I don’t really have much face to face contact with people who use the service however I see the joy and gratuity on people’s faces from inside looking out.