For many families around the country, times are economically difficult. Many feel the effects of the economic crash in 2008 and low wage rises of more recent times. We know about the number of families using food banks in the last five years. These have become vital for families in need. One local Christian charity called “Loaves N Fishes” which carries out similar work to food banks, is celebrating a grant from Big Lottery Fund. The Loaves N Fishes BLF grant, worth £300,000, expands greatly on the charity’s work in Blackheath.
Loaves N Fishes BLF Grant in Brief
This is not the first Loaves N Fishes BLF grant, Camelot continues to recognise their important work with a second. The £300,000 will go towards wages and workshops for employees to help more people than ever before. However, this charity is not just about helping those in immediate need. Some of this grant will go towards employability training so that recipients of their services many help themselves out of poverty. Furthermore, as Loaves N Fishes donates household items as well as food, some employees will learn how to restore furniture. Household items are a big part of the charity’s work and these items are either sold in their shop or given to recipients.
Project Manager Anna Hartland expressed her joy at the Loaves N Fishes BLF Grant. Nearly 2,000 people benefited from food or non-food items in 2015, she said. In the long-term, much like Citizen’s Advice Bureau, the charity hopes to run an advisory service too, giving guidance on benefits and legal rights. Job search skills, housing and civil law are already part of their scheme, but the money will expand this too. As mentioned above, this is the second BLF grant. Last year, a £218,000 bursary led to the charity moving its premises to larger facilities in Blackheath.