Beginning four years and four months ago, supplying food to six foodbanks in Newham, Irons Supporting Foodbanks (ISF) now supports over 60 foodbanks, homeless centres, community groups and schools across east London and Essex. When we began collecting, it was with a view to supporting Newham Foodbank.
Since then, during and post-pandemic, we’ve been in a fortunate position to support many more groups with what we have to offer. Whether it be food, new clothing, sports equipment or seasonal chocolates for the kids. The list continues to grow, as does our possibilities to offer useful support.
For example we’ve been approached by a government department to organise a team building exercise for senior staff. We’ve found a partner who can facilitate this. We’ve also been approached by London Stadium caterers Delaware North to help find a home for the surplus fresh food that is occasionally left over from the events that they hold at our home.
Again, we’ve found a partner with fresh food storage facilities to make this happen. Gallions Reach Retail Park is opening up a Community Hub at the former Footlocker store in April.
They’ve asked us to help set it up, and we’ve introduced them to the Foundation and to Newham Council. We’ve been able to develop a good working relationship with the Community Food Enterprise in Silvertown and plan to work together on future projects.
For example, with their links with Excel, we obtained a large quantity of new Harry Potter clothing following the recent Comicon held there. Some of this went to Morocco, as well as to local groups. For the last three years we’ve been offering seasonal chocolate treats for kids whose families need to use foodbanks.
We’ve just finished delivering another 2,000 Easter chocolates, including a donation from the club. We’ve maintained our support of the staff at London Ambulance Service at Dockside with a further donation, as well as Ambition Aspire Achieve in Canning Town.
The club continues to support our efforts, and for the last two winters the players and staff have clubbed together and made generous donations to Newham Foodbank, filling their van each time. They are also providing us with our own branded gazebo which hopefully will be in place for the next Europa League game.
Our cooperation with local small businesses has continued to grow, including Excel, Tate & Lyle, City Airport and our east London universities. ISF has also attended several events with the Newham Chamber of Commerce to network and show our vibrant community all we do.
Some of these larger businesses offer community grants which we are applying for. Last winter we were the Chamber President’s chosen charity at the awards dinner, donations received bought half a tonne of food.
Newham Council continues to support us, and distributes our food for us in Newham. They receive a pallet at their Silvertown depot, which we now share with them, and we instruct them to split it and who to deliver to locally. The amount of new clothing that comes our way is incredible, with approx. £1 million distributed in the last three years. So far in 2024 we’ve received over £100,000-worth.
ISF recently donated surplus brand-new clothing and shoes to the Scope3ce free community clothing giveaway in Silvertown, enabling people who might be going through hardships to access clothes and shoes. We provided new children’s and adult clothes to the event and also to Plaistow Library, which held a similar event for the community in March.
Additionally, clothing and food has been donated regularly to the Magpie Project, a charity based in Newham that helps mothers with children under five living in unstable housing accommodation. The team has also provided the Carpenters Warm Hub near the London Stadium with clothing, surplus furniture, and goodies for their bingo hampers.
This incredible haven has become the largest in Newham, providing food to over 700 people every week and offering homeless individuals food, clothes, and showers. Samantha White, the hub manager, is always a ray of sunshine and a true representation of the community.
ISF has also donated Easter eggs to Rainbow Ward, the local children’s ward in Newham, and Umbro has donated footballs for the hospital’s garden, for children to enjoy during their hospital stay. However, none of this could have been achieved without the help of the amazing West Ham Community.
Your generous donations have helped us supply over sixty tonnes, equating to £250k worth of food in three years, as well as the clothes. West Ham fans must be some of the most generous in the country, and we surely know how to support our own.
If you could help us by volunteering or donating, please get in touch. We could always do with a few extra volunteers on a matchday, even for just 30 minutes to collect donations and engage with fans on the way to the game. Discover more about the work we do at ironsfoodbanks.co.uk
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