In the middle of all the chaos and uncertainty, community efforts to support the frail, elderly and vulnerable continue. In some cases, the community groups’ efforts have, literally, redoubled.
The South Norwood Community Kitchen was busy delivering hundreds of meals yesterday
The South Norwood Community Kitchen was presented with a dilemma when the coronavirus lockdown came. They would no longer be able to put together a delicious meal for the homeless and the working poor of their neighbourhood that they have been doing for the past couple of years every Saturday, using food that had been donated, was no longer being sellable by local supermarkets, or is grown on nearby allotments.
So instead, they decided to offer two meals each week, all expertly cooked in the kitchen of a local church and then bagged up and delivered to their regulars on Saturdays and, yesterday for the first time, on Tuesdays.
It is a mammoth effort, with deliveries being made not just in the immediate South Norwood area, but to the north and south of the borough.
And it seems to be working.
“Our first Tuesday!” one of the founders posted on social media yesterday.
Yesterday’s food delivery, bagged up and ready to go
“It was definitely more efficient than Saturday and lucky to have a superb group of volunteers and army of delivery drivers who crack on and get on with it. Those that received parcels were chuffed to bits.
“Thanks to the Salvation Army and too many others to name for donations and support.”
And while that support continues to come in, one item which the South Norwood Community Kitchen is appealing for is plastic takeaway food boxes, to enable them to continue with their delivery service.
For more information about the Community Kitchen, and how to help, visit their Facebook page here.
The South Norwood group are among a range of organisations which are rising to the challenge of the coronavirus emergency.
The Whitgift Foundation has been in existence a tad longer – it was founded in 1596 – and now operates the borough’s private schools and two care homes.
The care homes, Wilhelmina House and Whitgift House, remain in operation for their elderly residents, though they are unable to receive visitors during the lockdown.
Meals on wheels: the Whitgift Foundation has been helping out a nearby primary school
With Howard Primary School in South Croydon without hot meal provision for pupils and key workers, a Foundation van and volunteer driver took some food prepared in the Whitgift School’s kitchens yesterday and today.
The Carers Support Centre, on George Street, has also had to close because of the emergency, though its information service is still on hand to offer advice to Croydon’s carers during these difficult times.
The John Whitgift Foundation (it recently changed its title of more than 400 years, presumably to distinguish it from the Derek Whitgift Foundation or the Brenda Whitgift Foundation), issued an update today which states, “Carers Information Service is providing a remote support service for carers, and helplines are still open for support on a range of topics, from carers’ assessments to bereavement support.
“For more information on the support available, click here to visit the Carers Information Service website.”
Some contact details for carers support are also available here:
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