Sufra NW London is definitely #morethanafoodbank, and our Christmas service embodied this completely.  

For the second year in a row, we provided a door-to-door delivery service, including a full roast dinner with all of the trimmings, mince pies, bread and butter pudding, drinks, Christmas crackers, presents for children and Christmas snacks!  

We know that supporting our guests at Christmas is more than just making sure a meal is on the table. Read on for a summary of how this worked in action.

613 Christmas dinners! Can you imagine how many potatoes you need to peel to make that happen? I’ve seen it with my very own eyes – and I still can’t quite believe it.

338 volunteer hours. Wrapping presents for children, peeling potatoes for roasting, labelling gravy pot lids and dragging crates from upstairs to downstairs… The jobs ranged from fun and festive to not so glam and our incredible volunteers took them all on with a smile!  

37 delivery drivers that all took time out of their Christmas day to spread some Sufra Christmas cheer, all whilst donning their best Christmas jumpers and hats!  

3 van loads of produce! Working across multiple sites, the logistics of carting food, drink, presents and some very large pots and pans across the borough are not to be underestimated.  

73 dinners for one – that’s 73 isolated individuals who would have otherwise spent Christmas alone, without a special meal to differentiate the day from the next.  

298 asylum seekers also received our Christmas dinner service! Housed in cramped contingency hotels with an allowance of around £8/week, a special meal and gifts for children would have been unthinkable without this support from Sufra.  

4 present collections! This year we were supported by Ace Café, Wates Group, Sisk and Sons and ‘That’s a Wrap’ – all of whom rallied their communities to support us with brand new presents to wrap and distribute to anyone registered under 16. Santa’s real elves in action!  

1 industrial kitchen! For those of you who supported in the kitchen throughout the height of 2020, you’ll know that the Uxbridge Masonic Lodge is the perfect spot for a gastronomic effort like this. We are so grateful for their support for our services.  

Reflecting back on our Christmas efforts, we are grateful to all of our supporters and volunteers who enabled the entire project. There is still time to give to our Winter Appeal, which will support this project and many others like it. Link here. 

Nina Parmar, Food Aid & Volunteer Manager