Another successful distribution in East London

‘Last week, the East London team had our first distribution in Bethnal Green, hosted at the BG Meeting House URC Church who kindly let us use the space. We received a HUGE amount of clothes, shoes, toiletries and toys thanks to the amazing solidarity of people from the neighbourhood and to the constant incredible effort of volunteers who are always on the hunt for donations.

About 50 people showed up and the atmosphere was really friendly, the kids were so excited about the toys! Residents could try clothes on and choose what they really liked. The feedback was incredible. One of the asylum seekers was so happy about his finds that he did a little fashion show over Zoom to show a volunteer his new outfits! A mother sent us a picture of a little corner set up by her kids, for playing with the new toys they got.

The East London team has been growing recently and we now have monthly distributions across 4 locations! Volunteers are not only helping to find and sort donations, but also looking for new venues, storage spaces, and forming partnerships with soup kitchens. Volunteers also play the role of health and safety officers to make sure the residents can be supported in the safest way during our events.

The ambition is to make this a regular event that people can look forward to, where they can meet the volunteers, and leave happy with new decent clothes, toiletries and a take away warm meal. When the virus is gone, we’d also like to add some activities to the mix. A big shout out and thanks to the volunteers who helped make this happen!’ – Alice, Care4Calais (U.K.) volunteer

To volunteer with us in the U.K., email [email protected].