Lewisham Council seeks to profit from charging food bank a licence to trade

Today at We Care food bank based at Kath's place Deptford we had a visit from two Lewisham council employees who told us we could no longer have a table outside to give away free food, often to local residents to poor and too proud to come into the food bank, they also objected to us have a clothes rail to give away free cloths to those again in need, people Lewisham council is elected by to serve, the Councils motto in Latin on its logo when you translate it reads ' The Welfare of the people is the highest law " so how is it just or right that to give people support and free food WE MUST pay the council a fee for a license? do you think it is just that in the present economic climate, Lewisham council should be charging charities that if the Council and Governments did their job we would not need to exist to profit from poverty? .

We Care Food Bank on Saturday 1 May 12-3 pm ( Bank Holiday weekend launch all welcome ) to our community tea room to support local people on low incomes access Vegan, Glutton, and Dairy-free food with a takeaway mug of tea 50 pence bacon or vegan roll ￡1 with ALL profit funding out community hub running services our council once did as well as help us raise the cash to create a community Kitchen that people who love to cook who live in poor housing such as hostels, temporary housing or bedsits can use the kitchen to create healthy low-cost meals with surplus given away to those most in need with some sold throughout community hub to pay our rent

It is with huge sadness that we can no longer thanks to Lewisham Councils greed offer our Free food table or our Free clothes rail outside. If you live in Lewisham you may wish to ask your local councilors, MPS, we have 3 plus Lewisham Mayor why they think it's acceptable to profit from the misery and hunger of the poor in this Borough.

We have been doing this since we opened in October you may ask why the visit today? you may not agree but it's clearly linked to earlier in the week when I put on my journalist hat to help an elderly cancer resident in the borough whose work to her property was so botched she was living in fear and worry within 24 hours are starting to write this article a team of workman arrived to sort the botched works before I had time to publish. Delighted to have helped I just hope this visit today was not payback for kicking them into action

We Care Food Bank at Kath's Place was featured Thursday on ITV flagship Current affairs show ITV Tonight.. Link here for those who missed it and highlights why we need to raise the cash to turn our basement into a community kitchen to help more people in crisis.

Could you help us create a Community Kitchen open and accessible to ALL? https://gf.me/u/x8m3fw  . 

This is the link to the ITV show that featured our work if you missed it .

https://www.itv.com/hub/tonight/1a2803a9306

Our Work is ever-changing, we still struggle every day to raise the cash to keep going as the diversity of the people we help across 7 boroughs makes it next to impossible to get Government or Council seed funding, we have launched this appeal so we can turn a grim basement into a community kitchen that ALL groups can share, that can help us create a community cafe that will be self-funding so we can expand our work and the numbers who need our help as well as be the model groups on zero income can copy to safe lives and build better communities, none of our past appeals have reached even 50% of what we need, so please this Easter, please think about donating the cost of a card, a mug of tea, the cost of a red rose to We Care and help us show those in crisis the love and kindness of strangers.

We will be opening our space as a community tea room, Vintage, local craft market, with our popular 50pence rummage boxes and ￡1 cloths rails, on May 1st, 12-3 with a bit of a party after covid-19 with face painting for the kids, we will be selling builders tea from 50 pence a mug, but also carry a range of well-being teas, great coffee and Dairy-free and Glutton free cakes and Vegan and meat options via toasties to raise the money we need to cover our rents and build a community kitchen. We want this to be a really great community space with a Tea room that is priced to welcome everyone regardless of economic status but we still need ￡1500 to buy the equipment and fit out the space to ensure every project within this space can continue in safety we also welcome local residents who create from home to have a table at our community market at this event and welcome choirs etc to perform within the covid restrictions. 

I thought you might be interested in supporting this GoFundMe, https://www.gofundme.com/f/we-care-community-cafe-kitchen-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet. 

#FeedingLewisham is OUR Communities story, this multi-award film we made during lockdown first time so you can see how important our work is and why we need your donations NOW, enjoy this short film that has won 5 international awards since we finished making it in October. Click on the link, and if you think we are worthy, please donate to support our work as every day is a struggle to survive whilst the demands on the services we offer have never been more needed vimeo.com/carabowen/down…

Feeding Lewisham

Please chip in to help out the GoFundMe page https://gf.me/u/x8m3fw  .

vimeo.com/carabowen/down…

Feeding Lewisham

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