members of the HelpCentre,
Thursday, 23 April 2020
The UCKG HelpCentre on Kilburn High Road reacted speedily to the government’s latest extension of the coronavirus lockdown by opening a soup kitchen at its premises, two days later on Saturday 18 April.
In that short time, Pastor Carlos who runs the HelpCentre, gathered a team of volunteers and enough essential food items to provide packs for the 30, mostly older people, who turned up. The packs contained such items as milk, water, bread, pasta and tinned food, and were distributed to people in the community who were in need.
As Pastor Carlos stated: “With the lockdown extended for a further three weeks, it has further increased the needs of people who might not be able to cope and provide themselves with groceries for that length of time. Homeless people, as well, are continuously begging on the streets even during this lockdown so we decided to go ahead with this initiative to help as many in the community as possible.”
“Although the supermarkets and some independent shops are still open on Kilburn High Road there are people in the area who do not have enough to buy necessities for themselves or their families.”
For the opening, the food was donated by members of the HelpCentre, and going forward Pastor Carlos anticipates that mostly it will be given by the members, with further donations from supermarkets. However, donations from the public will be most welcome. And while 30 people received free food on the opening day, it is anticipated that numbers will be higher in future as more people arrived after the two-hour opening slot had ended.
A total of 11 volunteers were engaged in running the soup kitchen. Users will be reassured to know that they all had PPE and that social distancing was strictly observed. Opening hours are 11am to 1pm, every Saturday.
ENDS
Notes to editors
UCKG is a Christian church and registered charity that offers a range of practical support activities alongside spiritual support and comfort and welcomes all-comers. It reached the UK in 1995 and has gone from strength to strength, providing support and spreading the Christian faith. There are UCKG HelpCentre branches in England and Wales.
For further information please contact the UCKG HelpCentre Press Officer via e-mail on press@uckg.org or direct line 020 7686 6033.
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