Volunteers distribute 300 food packs at rainy Brussels Park

This week we were in Brussels Park, once again standing in the rain for hours but as ever kept cheerful by the welcome we get from the amazing people living there.

Most are African or Sudanese, but more Syrians have arrived this week, making it reminiscent of the early days of the Calais jungle in 2015. The guys laughed and joked with our volunteers and shared hundreds of cups of tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. One group happily included a Care4Calais volunteer in their Arabic conversations, not at all put off by the fact that they did not understand a word.

The number of people asking for food was a saddening experience. We are asked for things all the time, but it is particularly difficult to hear that someone in hungry. However, this week the wonderful Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity has sent us 165 well-made food packs, including all kinds of goodies, such as chocolate bars, fruits, nuts, cereal bars, snacks, and bottled drinks.

We topped these up to create 300 packs from our own stocks, and distributed them alongside 300 pairs of jogging bottoms. Joggers are very useful at this time of year, as they are either a clean pair of trousers or an extra layer of warmth under jeans.

Nevertheless, even after this big distribution there were still some people who we did not have enough for. We searched every vehicle for snacks, sweets, anything we could find; when you are asked for food, you can’t help but react. Some volunteers gave away their own lunch.

Next week we will be taking even more packs with us, but with numbers on the rise it is increasingly hard for us to do this. If you too can help in any way, please donate now by clicking here. Every little helps.