Suzanne Paterson from Tin in a Bin provides an update on their joint campaign with Redbridge Council, aiming to help feed 350 children across Redbridge over the summer holidays
Earlier this year, Tin in a Bin joined forces with Redbridge Council to support young people in Redbridge whose families are struggling with increased costs of living. Many thousands of families are able to access free school meals but there are a number of families who are ineligible for this and are still struggling. So last Easter, over £4,000 was raised to provide support to 350 children in Redbridge through the provision of food vouchers.
The cost-of-living crisis hasn’t gone away and many families are still struggling to cope with increased costs of food, housing and everyday essentials. So, Tin in a Bin and Redbridge Council decided to find a way to support families during the six-week summer holidays. They have worked closely together to raise money through fundraising events and activities.
To feed 350 children who are ineligible for free school meal vouchers during the holidays, Tin in a Bin and Redbridge Council set themselves an ambitious target of raising £30,000. This will pay for ingredients and recipes supplied by the Mayor of London’s office or food vouchers for each of the children throughout the holidays. Not only will families be able to eat nutritious and balanced meals, but they will also enjoy the opportunity to cook together and learn new skills as a family.
For the last few months, there have been many events including quiz nights, bingo and a summer fair at Cranbrook Primary School and the Early Years Play and Development centre at the school. Thanks to the massive generosity of local residents and everyone who has attended the fundraising events, we raised around £20,000, but there is still some way to go to reach our target.
We will continue to raise funds throughout the summer holidays so that young people in Redbridge don’t need to go hungry this summer.
If you can, please donate via the GoFundMe page or contact Tin in a Bin directly to make a donation. A donation of £15 will provide a child with ingredients and recipes or food vouchers for a week.
We would also welcome food donations to Tin in a Bin. There are collection points across Wanstead, Woodford, Newbury Park and Forest Gate where you can drop off tins or packets of food including rice, pasta, cereals or long-life milk. Our volunteers will bring your donations to our sorting and distribution point at St Mary’s Church in Wanstead, where they are then distributed to a number of charitable organisations across Redbridge.
To donate, visit wnstd.com/feed350
To find your nearest Tin in a Bin collection point, visit wnstd.com/tinabsites
