Local Community Support
As a charity in the centre of Edlington, Doncaster, Edlington Community Organisation aims to improve and regenerate the area and improve quality of life for all its’ users. Together with the Edlington Hilltop Centre, in which ECO is based, they look to provide learning opportunities, advice, counselling and activities that boost their local community.
In 2016, the community Investment Fund provided ECO with £2500 to support their pilot “pop-up” food sharing service. The project targeted people furthest from the community, as well as those who were vulnerable or facing hardship, to enable them to overcome immediate difficulties and prepare for the future.
The service issued hampers made up of food and non-food donations and provided hot meals and companionship to users. It was a vital service to vulnerable people and families and helped address issues such as wellbeing and loneliness. In addition, accessing this service allowed ECO to provide other benefits to users, such as support around housing, employment and benefit issues.
Across the pilot, ECO managed to achieve:
Foodbank Sessions 14
Individual cases 161
Parcels 322
Hungry bellies fed 768
Pets fed 194
Not only this, but the project also provided volunteering opportunities within the community, and gave people the confidence to upskill and become more socially active. Throughout the duration of the project they increased people’s access to training (food safety, benefits, safeguarding, e-learning, IT), developed their employment skills, and increased access to employment support facilities by offering a free telephone and internet service.