The Arsenal Foundation has helped to fund the food bank at the Church of the Sacred Heart near Emirates Stadium. Volunteer and committee member Philip Ward, 27, tells us how the service has grown to help more people during difficult times.
I work as an account manager at a sales company in London, nine to five, Monday to Friday. During the pandemic I volunteered to be a Covid tester, which then led to working officially for the NHS as a vaccinator during the roll-out. Outside of this any charity work has always been mainly with the Church.
“We began as a Covid response unit, aiming to assist those in need. Sacred Heart is a Catholic Church located on Eden Grove just off Holloway Road, and we have a vibrant and very caring community. I have been a parishioner and part of the community my whole life, as my parents and grandparents were before me. It became very apparent that parishioners and people in the local community were struggling to make ends meet and so the Sacred Heart Foodbank was born. We began with five people in 2021, helping mainly parishioners and parents who were struggling from Sacred Heart school (the sister school to the Church). From then we have grown to assisting over 120 families every fortnight with a pool of more than 50 volunteers.
“I am on the committee and assist in the running of the food bank every session. We run one main session twice a month on Saturdays, starting at 11.30am, with a smaller session for just fresh food every Saturday in between.
“At the main sessions clients start queuing at around 7am. This seemed like a waste of peoples’ time so one of us hands out tokens and the list of items available from 8am onwards, so people can go away and do something else knowing their place in the queue is secured. Most come from Islington, but some from further afield, representing the vast mix of ethnic groups that makes up London. Many are elderly, yet still looking after children.
“The crowd builds from 11am and starts coming into the centre from 11.30. Each client is recorded. It can get quite noisy, but a good few people sit down and chat with each other. I am usually handing out the baskets once the clients’ orders are filled and brought over the road from our store by the younger volunteers. Some clients are a bit deaf so a loud voice like mine helps!
“Since we started we have registered 621 households, varying in size from single people to families of eight. We now serve on average 130 households twice every month, with a list of 36 items of non-perishable food, toiletries and household cleaning stuff from which people can choose 15 items. We also serve hot and cold drinks and a hot meal cooked by volunteers for anyone who wants it, plus patisseries, biscuits and snacks. A range of fresh food and bakery products is also available every week. We often serve watermelon in the summer – that goes down a bomb with the kids.
“Demand has increased at a steady rate since we began. A big part of this is due to the increasing awareness of us in the local community. But things have only got worse for people since Covid due to the knock-on effects it had – not to mention the war in Ukraine, Brexit, the energy crisis and the cost of living crisis. All these factors can have deep implications for people who are already struggling, and they push many people over the edge into a place where they’re not coping. It’s not just the unemployed either – it’s people with jobs as well.
“The Arsenal Foundation have assisted us in continuing the work we do. All funds from the Foundation went directly into sourcing goods for our clientele, and so it has directly impacted the community in which Arsenal is based. We are very grateful for the support, as are the people we assist.
“Looking back, my proudest thing about the food bank is the operating level that we’ve reached and the fact that we’re still here helping those in need after starting what was, in our minds, a short-term fix to a short-term issue. When we started out there were less than six of us and fewer than ten families to help, so to have more than 50 volunteers assisting more than 600 families – and bringing people together in what has grown to be a beautiful community – makes me very proud.
“So too does seeing the number of young people who have become involved. It’s a difficult time to stay grounded for this younger generation, with all the new challenges they face through social media and so on, and it’s a heartwarming sign to see young people going out of their way and giving up a Saturday morning to volunteer and help those in need.
“I think it’s so important that football clubs are involved in their local communities. Arsenal have been a great ambassador for getting involved in the community, both financially, like with us, and in other ways as well. The Arsenal Hub helps children in so many ways, Arsenal players supported local businesses during the pandemic and The Arsenal Foundation gives money to organisations like ourselves to continue the work we do.
“But there’s much more that can be done, and it’s vital that football clubs continue and expand the amount of support they give to their local communities. Not just because it should be a responsibility of these clubs to help, but also because it grows the community even further, which is good for everyone. Having lived less than a mile away from both the Emirates and Highbury my whole life, I feel this deeply.”
For more information on donating to the food bank click here.
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