Sufra’s Community Wellbeing Project has been extended until March 2024 and is now open to new members! Sign up here: www.bit.ly/sufracwp
Location:
Upper Mezzanine Floor, Bridge Park Leisure Centre, Harrow Rd, London, NW10 0RG
Opening Times:
Community Shop & Community Café: Mondays & Tuesdays 12.00 – 18.00
Community Kitchen: Mondays & Tuesday 18.00 – 20.00
What is the project?
The project builds on our existing experience offering a wide range of support to our guests – but now we will be able to provide all of our services under one roof!
Based on a 3-month membership model, a weekly £4 fee will give members access to:
However, much like our existing Community Kitchen service, the general public will also have access to free drinks at the Community Café and free meals at the Community Kitchen – without membership. We want this to be a Community Space, where everyone and anyone can share a meal.
Members will be expected to attend an in-depth assessment appointment on registration with an advisor to develop a plan. From this, members will be registered for appropriate workshops and follow-up appointments.
We encourage potential members to meet the following criteria:
- Local to Stonebridge/Harlesden
- Families with dependents under 18
- In receipt of benefits
If you work for an organisation which supports families who could benefit from this project – or would like to become a member yourself, please fill in our referral form
Email us at admin@sufra-nwlondon.org.uk if you need help with filling in the form.
Why are we launching it?
In the past year, we’ve seen an increase in food bank guests who are working and in receipt of all eligible benefits but still need a bit of support. We see this mainly in larger families on low-wages receiving capped Universal Credit support. These are people who still go on occasional food shops, but have to pick and choose between their essentials and have low levels of disposable income. This is a slightly different demographic to those we mainly support at the food bank – many of them do not have £4 spare each week. The idea being that we can prevent our members from spiralling into deeper poverty, and thereby reduce demand for food aid.
The success of the model very much depends on the working closely with Brent Council and a host of other partners – from Brent Hubs and public health, to a number of voluntary sector organisations and food redistribution charities. We are definitely stronger and more effective when working together.
Our Project partners:
The need in Brent borough:
- Poverty levels in Brent are higher than most of London and most of the UK. Child poverty rates are as high as 47% in Stonebridge
- Brent Residents have very low average incomes: 25% of working people in Brent earn less than the real living wage
- Many residents in Brent have limited access to groceries: Trust for London has identified areas in Brent that are considered e-food deserts
- Social isolation is on the rise, and adversely impacts physical and mental health
- But most importantly, we know that the Cost of Living Crisis will make all of this much worse. Demand for food aid is currently as high as it was during the pandemic as the cost of food, bills and inflation has rocketed.
Download our full information pack here
