Lewisham Donation Hub

Since we opened our doors in 2020, we haven’t stopped. There’s been little time to reflect on what Lewisham Donation Hub, is, or means, to the 1000s of people that it has impacted over the last few years. For anyone new to the ‘Hub’, here’s us trying to consolidate our story into 5 quick points and a 1-minute read! 📌 We were founded in 2020 as a voluntary project in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since we opened, we have helped more than 20,000 people including #refugees and those experiencing #homelessness . 📈 Originally a food bank, we now offer not only fresh and cupboard essentials, but homelessness equipment, home electricals, personal care products, clothing (for adults and children), electronics, toys and more. 🙌 We became a registered #charity in April 2023 🤝 More than half our volunteers are themselves seeking asylum, or refugees. Many volunteers access our services themselves. ✅ No referrals or bookings are required to use our services.     We are here – and will continue to be here – because an ever-growing proportion of our society is being pushed into acute hardship. But with your support, and our incredible volunteers, we will do everything we can to bring vital services to our community. Watch this space for more information on how, together, we can have a direct impact on those in need.

Brilliant to see the work that The Food Foundation do given a platform on ITV. We couldn't agree more with Anna Taylor in this interview 💯

We shouldn't exist. Our vision is for a London (and a world) where as Trussell have so neatly put it, everyone has access to somewhere safe to sleep, nutritious food to eat, clothing and home essentials to live in comfort and technology and education resources to enable them to thrive. Sadly, this is not the reality we face. Until that time, we are here ❤️

Meet Tom 👋 A volunteer with us since October, Thomas Adams works across several areas. From helping our Food Team and updating our database, to greeting and allocating support tickets to visitors, Tom’s a familiar face at the ‘Hub and we’re excited for you to hear more… 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗯? Via an online volunteer board (Admin: any interested volunteers – drop us a DM!) 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂? It always changes, but it’s actually the variability and pace of work throughout the day that I find so absorbing. It can be intense – however there’s a sense of team spirit amongst the staff and volunteers which creates, alongside the guests, a fantastic sense of community which I love. 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆? I assisted a guest recently who was a Sudanese refugee who hadn't seen his family in around three years, but was due to be reunited with them the following day. The next week, he returned with his whole family. I barely recognised the man because he was so happy - we were able to get the family a computer and support in many other ways which they hugely appreciated. Needless to say, this was really moving and uplifting - you could make their story into a movie! 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿?  Assisting people, learning about the struggles many face in Lewisham and working alongside the team and community at the Hub which I've come to feel a part of. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴? Go for it!  Any amount of time you can spare is hugely valuable and there's innumerable ways your skills and talents could be useful to the Hub's guests. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀. Essential, compassionate support 🫶

“It’s not about how long you live, but how wide you live” These were the words of the poet, Kareem Parkins-Brown, at London’s City Hall on 4th February where Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, London's Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, thanked London’s diverse civil society organisations for all the community work we do, and pre-launched the ‘Loved & Wanted’ campaign. Kareem’s poetry spoke of the importance of community and connecting with people whose lived experience is different to our own. At the Hub we are lucky to have a diverse volunteer community that consists of over 60% refugees and asylum seekers, coming from all over the world, many of whom first visited us for support. We work, learn and serve together. Our visitors come to us with a variety of different support needs, for different reasons and we aim to offer each person support with respect and kindness. We stand by the campaign, launched on Valentine’s Day, which reaffirms our city’s values of diversity, unity and inclusion, and shows all communities that London is, and always will be, a place where everyone is welcome.  The ‘Loved & Wanted’ campaign reinforces this message at a time when many Londoners feel vulnerable. To learn more about the campaign, and how you can get involved, and find out how the Mayor of London is supporting communities across the city, please visit the link in our comments 👇

Providing food is one of the cornerstones of our services, with so many people unable to access nutritious meals 🥦🥕🥗 The Food Foundation is a vital charity, aiming to change food policy and business practice to ensure everyone can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet. We love the work they do, and their latest 'Broken Plate Report' makes for an insightful - if at times, difficult - read, that backs up what we see on the frontline here at the 'Hub, and what we need to see in the future. You can read the full report below, or download it from their website 👇

Meet Andy 👋 In the third instalment of our series, getting to know some of the brilliant people behind the ‘Hub, today we hear from Andy Stevens who has been volunteering with us since September 2023. He wears many hats, but mostly works within our ‘General Support’ team, helping to provide visitors with essential household items such as kitchenware, bedding and electrical items, in addition to clothing. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗯? I moved to Lewisham in summer 2023 and wanted to give something to my local community. I contacted a number of local charities and Lewisham Donation Hub was the first to respond with a lovely call from Carolyn - and the rest is history. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂? They are never the same at the 'Hub'! New opportunities and challenges make every day different. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺? Meeting and helping people is always rewarding. When people come to us in sometimes awful situations, we are able to speak with them, treat them kindly and respectfully, and share what we can with them to make their lives a bit easier. I've been surprised by how many people have said how badly they have been treated elsewhere when trying to get help and one of the great things about the hub is how it strives to treat everyone equally. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿? Three things; 🤝 Helping people as I described above 🙌 Spending time with the other volunteers, who are amazing!  ♻️ The environmental impact. One of the things most people don't realise about the hub is the environmental aims of it: creating a way to reuse items in the community that would otherwise be thrown away. It's great to see so many items going to homes that need it and not to landfill - a win-win for people and the planet! 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴? Do it! Compared to a lot of charities, the hub is pretty flexible and quick for volunteering. There is always a need most times of the day, doing many different things, so you can find a volunteering slot and activity that works for you. Come and try a few different activities out and see what is best for you. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀. Sanctuary. Oasis. Kind

We have been sustained by many a vital order via In Kind Direct 💚 From toiletries to household essentials, we've been able to purchase from some of the UK's biggest brands to help us bridge the hygiene divide. With discounts sometimes up to 90%, we can help infinitely more people by using this service. If your company may be able to partner with In Kind Direct and enable us to continue purchasing these essentials, please do get in touch with them via their post below!

We had to share this brilliant initiative from Just Good Work and Migrant Help. Supporting people with the information and guidance they need to navigate the often opaque and complex systems in place in the UK, is a large part of what we do face-to-face at the 'Hub. We hope this app can be a helpful tool to assist people further 🙏