Local volunteers deliver meals to our homelessness hostel and sheltered housing schemes.
Voluntary Action Epping Forest (VAEF) and the Rotary Club of Loughton, Buckhurst Hill and Chigwell have come together to deliver cooked meals to residents at Norway House (our homelessness hostel) and our sheltered housing schemes.
They have delivered delicious meals to suit all including vegetarian dishes. The residents have been delighted to receive these food deliveries; with pasta, fish, and curry being among the favourites.
Food4All
This generous gesture was set up by Pesh Kapasiawala from the Rotary Club who brought VAEF and the club together to help. Mr Kapasiawala first heard about Norway House through a volunteer at VAEF whose brother works at the hostel.
Kapasiawala reached out to his contacts at the charity Food4All (based in East London) to see if they could help during lockdown. Food4All prepare and provide the cooked meals Mr Kapasiwala, has been distributing between Norway House and the sheltered schemes in the district every Wednesday.
Our sheltered housing residents
The sheltered housing schemes became involved thanks to Julie Bristow, a member of VAEF who helped co-ordinate deliveries to Norway House and Denise Pegler the Older People’s Services Team Manager at Epping Forest District Council.
As well as receiving the meals, residents are speaking regularly to their Sheltered Housing Officer who is providing a much-needed chat at this challenging time.
Sheltered housing is accommodation for people over the age of 60 years who can live on their own but feel more secure with the support of a scheme manager and others close by.
For more information visit our Shelter Housing web page.
Amazing community partnership
Council Chairman, Councillor Richard Bassett said:
Helping with the delivery at Norway House, I got to see this amazing community partnership in action. They are supporting the local community by delivering over 700 meals every week and I thank them for including some of our more vulnerable residents.
I’d also like to thank all the organisations that are donating food and ingredients for the meals. It was great to see so many people coming together to help out and the food looked delicious.
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