Helping put food on the table during the Coronavirus crisis

A group of local voluntary and community organisations is working together to help people access food and keep their families fed during the Coronavirus crisis.

Together they have delivered thousands of hot meals and food parcels to grateful residents in Blackburn with Darwen.

The organisations involved in the food group include Age UK BwD, Benefit Mankind, Blackburn Foodbank, Blackburn Youth Zone, BwD Healthy Living, Care Network, and Masjid E Tauheedul Islam Community Care.

They have supported the Council’s Help Hub operation to ensure that local people with no family, friends or neighbours to help them during lockdown are able to feed themselves and their families – often providing emergency food deliveries within hours.

Here’s just a flavour of how these organisations have been supporting local people:

When the crisis hit locally, Benefit Mankind launched a helpline for families and elderly people. The charity has provided emergency food packs across the whole of Lancashire, with an average of 200 packs going out each day.

Blackburn Foodbank has delivered enough food to cook around 16,000 meals, supporting over 1,700 vulnerable people, almost half of which are children. They’ve also delivered household essentials like toiletries to over 650 homes.

Masjid E Tauheedul Islam Community Care has delivered almost 6,000 gift packs of food to vulnerable families and elderly people. Around 500 volunteers from the mosque have been supporting their deliveries. A helpline also supports people who need help with shopping, hot meals, maintenance and medical supplies.

Blackburn Youth Zone launched their ‘Covid-19 Whatever It Takes’ project to ensure that no family has to go without food and social interaction during this time period. They have been providing 80 meals a day to their members and their families.

Age UK Blackburn with Darwen have been supporting older people with a prescription collection and shopping service – during April their volunteers completed 169 shopping trips to get their clients the food and essential items they needed.

Care Network has an important role on the panel that assesses requests for support through the BwD Help Hub. They have supported over 500 residents through the Hub or by signposting them to other organisations for food that meets their needs.

BwD Healthy Living have so far provided food parcels to almost 700 households in the Highercroft, Shadsworth and Whitebirk areas, plus excess food donated by local supermarkets.

Blackburn Youth Zone’s meal service has provided vital support to some families experiencing financial difficulties as a result of the pandemic. Rose Walton, Business Admin Manager at Blackburn Youth Zone, said:

It’s been a worrying time for many families and we’re here to offer whatever help we can. One family we’ve worked with told us that they find it difficult to have to rely on support but are grateful for what we have done for them. As well as supplying regular meals, our team has also provided wellbeing checks, which the family tells us have helped to lift their mood. We’ve also encouraged the children to get involved with our digital youth clubs to keep in touch with others during lockdown.

Masjid E Tauheedul Islam Community Care reached out to over 8,000 homes in the north of the borough, providing food parcels, and offering a hot meal delivery service. Jane Davies was so grateful for the support they gave to her 73 year old mother who lives alone.

Masjid E Tauheedul Islam Community Care delivered a food parcel to Mrs Davies’ mother, along with other elderly people in her area, and also provided an emergency phone number to call for further help with food, home emergencies or help collecting prescriptions.

Jane Davies said:

It has made my mother feel valued and reassured, knowing that there is someone she can call on, as and when she needs it. I feel that this support being offered by the MTI Community Care Team is invaluable to the people of Blackburn and my family cannot thank them enough.

Councillor Mohammed Khan, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said:

It’s been heart-warming to see organisations and our local community pulling together to support residents in need.

Some fantastic partnership working has happened over the last eight weeks, and I’m confident that the connections that have been made will grow stronger as we continue to support our most vulnerable residents during extended lockdown and into the recovery period.

Anyone who needs support during the Coronavirus pandemic can contact the BwD Help Hub.

• Fill in the online form at blackburn.gov.uk
• Call 01254 588111 – calls are taken 9am-5pm Mon to Fri, and 9am-12pm Sat & Sun

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