ST MARY ABBOTS
ST MARY ABBOTS
‘YOU SAW ME HUNGRY
AND FED ME...’
Pippa Currey tells us more about an
important new initiative at St Mary Abbots
I
n the past
month,
regular
attenders at St
Mary Abbots
on Sundays
or Thursday
mornings will
have noticed the
plastic crates
placed in the centre of the church and near the
west door: these bins represent a new way in
which our church is getting involved with our
Kensington community.
The economic downturn of the past few years
has undoubtedly had a life changing effect on
many vulnerable people across the country;
newcomers to the apparently prosperous area
around St Mary Abbots might be surprised
to know that in the north of the borough
there are areas where life could not be more
different, where many are living in extreme
poverty. One such area is the residents
around the Dalgarno Trust Community
Centre. Established in 2004, the Trust is “a
community anchor, dedicated to enriching
the lives of the local people.” They work with
a vastly diverse collection of community
groups of all ages who use their services and
extensive facilities to support their activities.
10 | 2014 Spring
They started
a food bank
in 2012 on an
ad hoc basis
because they
recognised that
some of the most
needing people
who were using
their community
facilities were genuinely struggling to feed
themselves and their families. Over time
the operation has become more structured,
so in order to understand more clearly how
it works and how best we can help Jenny
Welsh and I paid a visit a few weeks ago.
Unlike the Trussell Trust foodbanks (www.
trusseltrust.org) where clients can access
food only up to three times in a year,
using vouchers issued by other agencie,
the Dalgarno Trust offers food to any local
people who need it, on a weekly basis. The
service is free, but clients are asked to make
a small donation for what they receive if
possible. The six or seven volunteers working
under their fabulously energetic and cheerful
leader Pam Bardouille are crucial; they
arrive at around 1pm, followed shortly by
a vanload of food which they unload and
organize. The van is driven by staff from
another local charity, Upper Room (another
old friend of St Mary Abbots’ – our Harvest
Donations have been going there for many
years) and contains fresh food donated
by our neighbour Wholefoods, including
vegetables, bread and ready meals, depending
on what is available. A room is set up with
the perishable food (about a third), tins
and packets organized in food groups on
tables. On a weekly basis there are dried
foods such as pasta and rice plus tinned
soups, baked beans and other preserved
goods. Tea, coffee, cleaning products etc are
offered less regularly, because the reality
is that many of the most vulnerable are
using this service most Thursdays, and do
not need cleaning products every week.
While the room is being organised, tickets
are given out from 2pm in the reception
area of the Trust centre, where there is also
a community café. When we were there, a
couple of women from St Francis’ Church
nearby were inviting people to have a go at
doing some drawing—a number of lovely
still lifes of flowers were being produced by
people waiting. At 2.30 groups start coming
in, about five people at a time; they are told
how many packets or tins they can take from
each area, and most of them leave with two
full plastic bags. Once they have
selected and left, the next
group comes in, and in
this way the Trust feeds
between thirty and fifty
people in the community in
a very short thirty minutes.
The non perishable goods
we and others contribute
are crucial. The fresh food
varies enormously in amount and
content so the tins and packets represent a
vital staple to ensure the Trust can regularly
feed all those who rely on their help.
What we hadn’t realised before our visit is
that the SMA deliveries now account for
between 80 and 100% of non perishable goods
the Trust receives every week. It was also
impressed upon us when we were there that
the van delivering the Wholefoods donations
has a cost implication, and if the Trust
cannot pay for it, then they cannot get the
fresh food. So to all those who live and work
around St Mary Abbots the message is very
clear: please continue to bring in your food
donations– the bins are in church on Sunday
mornings and on Thursdays until 10.45am,
and we welcome contributions from locals
who do not attend our church! In addition if
anyone feels they could secure deliveries for
a week or longer (or even part of a week) by
making a financial contribution – you may
not have the time to shop or want to carry
bags around – then this too contributes to the
vital work that the Dalgarno Trust is doing
for people suffering from, or on the brink
of food poverty. Please help if you can.
For more information see www.dalgarnotrust.
org.uk. If you would like to join the church’s
merry band of people who deliver our
donations on Thursdays, or want
more information please contact
Jenny Welsh, our curate.
Spring 2014 | 11