Felicia Boshorin tells us about the invaluable work of Spring Community Hub, helping people escape food poverty, “We make sure no one in Southwark goes hungry and work with people to help them escape food poverty…”
Your name?
Felicia Boshorin
What’s your job role?
CEO of Spring Community Hub
What does your organisation do?
We make sure no one in Southwark goes hungry and work with people to help them escape food poverty. We do this with five food banks a week, our children’s holidays clubs and our Back 2 Work project. We also run a clothes bank and a women’s drop in session, called Spring Up Women. At Christmas we make sure no family faces a festive season of hunger and missing out by providing a Christmas hamper including a gift for every child.
How does your organisation support & benefit the Southwark community?
We make sure hundreds of people a week don’t go hungry thanks to our food bank. We always make a special effort to give people as much choice as possible and make sure everyone leaves with fresh fruit and veg, and food they can be excited about.
As soon as school breaks up, our holiday club swings into action keeping bellies full and minds inspired. More than 300 children came along to our summer holiday club. The club also give kids the chance to explore London and escape the city. Our women’s drop-in session gives mums a time to think about themselves, share skills and learn about issues like mental health and domestic violence.
Every project we run brings people together. We know how difficult life is when food is short but we want everyone who is a part of Spring to be excited about food, to make friends and find community. People who use Spring know they can share anything and we will help try and solve that problem, without judgement. We’re also a place where people know will leave with a smile.
What are you working on, is there anything you would like to highlight?
We’re getting prepared for our Christmas hamper appeal. Every year we give families we support a Christmas hamper with all the trimmings – from turkey to sprouts and everything in between. There are selections boxes to feast on, mince pies to share and crackers to pull. We make sure every child gets a present so no one wakes up on Christmas morning without anything to open.
Our hamper appeal launches on 30 November and runs until 7 December. Every donation counts double during this time! People can donate at tinyurl.com/spring-christmas-appeal
A quote from a beneficiary of Spring Community Hub:
“I lost my job because of the pandemic and was unemployed for over a year. I would have never been able to support my wife and four kids without your assistance. The help given to me was really fundamental. The Back 2 Work team helped me with writing my CV and gave me precious information about English language courses. I believe that the team really care for other people and I have always enjoyed visiting and interacting with people there. I really wanted to volunteer but I have found a job recently!” – Evert
How did you hear about Community Southwark?
We’ve been a part of Community Southwark since we began. During the pandemic we began working closely together.
How has Community Southwark helped you?
Community Southwark has supported us by providing fridges and freezers, making our food last longer and go further and saving valuable time. They’ve also helped us find volunteers and supported everything we do.
Would you recommend Community Southwark to other charities for support?
Yes
How can people get support from your organisation?
People can either email office@springcommunityhub.org.uk or call 020 7703 1653 for support.
How can people find out more about what you do?
They can check out our website (which includes a report about our work during the pandemic) and follow our social media for more regular updates.
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