Food providers across the city have done a brilliant job to meet the need of food insecurity and bring hope to many during this pandemic. A key Skype meeting was held with a number of larger providers on the 18th March and the day after the first citywide delivery scheme was established run by We Care Leeds with FAN / UPA being a key referrer.

A week later (26th March) a huge collaborative operation was established involving a large central warehouse run by the Council, which FareShare Yorkshire and Rethink Food would pump food into. Food would then be used to supply 27 Coronavirus Hubs which included Churches such as Pudsey Parish Church and Rainbow Junction / All Hallows.

Some of these Hubs are set to run until the June 2021. People were able to call the city’s Welfare and Coronavirus helplines and a traffic light scheme would be used to assist them.

Red was for immediate need and people received direct delivery, Amber, less immediate and people were connected with a Hub for food, and Green was for people who could pay.

There were many other vital contributions from different providers including Leeds North and West and Leeds South and East Foodbanks, who moved to citywide delivery scheme in May, places like Neruka’s Soup Kitchen, St Aidan’s and Harehills Baptist Churches carried out fantastic work in the area of Harehills, Salvation Army and the Crypt provided meals for the homeless and there were lots of vital contributions from Churches and Food Providers such as St Matts, Gateway, Life Church, Lighthouse / St George’s, Holbeck Foodbank, Wetherby Foodbank, St Vincent’s, Homeless Street Angels, Roundhay St Edmunds, Moortown Baptist, St Pauls Morley, Driglington Methodist, St Wilfred’s Halton, Soup and More, St Martin’s, St Hilda’s, Salvation Army Morley and Hunslet, and many more.

Give thanks for so many generous people and a coordinated response to the pandemic.

Please pray for many people who are struggling with Food Insecurity and for wisdom on how much recurring assistance to offer individuals.

Contact: mary@leedsfoodaidnetwork.co.uk, Facebook – Leeds Food Aid Network, @foodaidnetwork