This week we are featuring two food banks in the Kingston Episcopal Area. Today’s video features the Wandsworth Foodbank and then on Wednesday there will be another blog and video about the Brixton and Norwood Foodbank.

As you will have seen from last week’s video and blog, there are many reasons why people need the services of a food bank even in “normal” times, and the pandemic has caused many more to seek help.

The Wandsworth Foodbank operates out of five venues across the Borough of Wandsworth: St Michael’s Church, Southfields; St Mark’s Church, Battersea Rise; The Yard, Putney (Ashburton Estate); St Paul’s Church, Furzedown; and the Shaftesbury Christian Centre, Battersea. All five venues have had to close because of the pandemic and so, whilst people would normally visit to collect food, this is not now possible.

Nonetheless, the need remains urgent and the numbers who find themselves in need of help to feed themselves and their families is increasing. As a result, the volunteers are making sure that food is delivered to people’s houses. The Wandsworth food bank has made a video for the Bishop’s Lent Call and in it you can hear from Dan, the food bank’s manager, and Danny, who helps to deliver the food to all sorts of unexpected places as you will see if you watch the video.

You can also find out more about the Wandsworth food bank at: wandsworth.foodbank.org.uk or on Twitter @WandsworthFB and on Instagram at WandsworthFoodbank.

Like many of the food banks in the Diocese, the Wandsworth Foodbank is a member of the Trussell Trust Group of food banks who work together to ensure that people who are in need of food and assistance receive it, but they also campaign to end hunger and destitution in the UK. You can find out more about their work on their website at: trusselltrust.org.

As you go through this week, please do pray for those who are involved as volunteers and workers at the Wandsworth Foodbank and especially for those whom they help to feed. Pray for those who are hungry and homeless and for those who are displaced from their homelands and without a means of earning enough to live on. You might find it helpful to use the Lent Call prayer as you pray for those about whom you have heard:

Creator God,
we give thanks for all that you have given to us.
We pray for those who are experiencing food insecurity.
in the places featured in the Lent Call and elsewhere.
Help us to show compassion for them.
Give us the will to work with others to help to bring about change. Amen.

Please also consider carefully and prayerfully whether you can make a donation to the Bishop of Southwark’s Lent Call in thanks to God for all that God has done for you. Thank you.

The Trussell Trust’s CEO, Emma Revie, wrote an article for our Hearts on Fire Blog this week-end about Food Insecurity.