November's Community Stories

Please support your local Food Hub or Food Bank this Christmas

Christmas is a time of giving, and what better way to help your community than by supporting a local food hub near you during the festive season?

Coventry Food Hubs –

A network of 15 social supermarkets across Coventry. The Food Hubs (Social Supermarkets) offer discounted food parcels, which typically equate to £25 worth of food for a cost of a £5 membership per week. Food hubs differ from food banks, in that the food is not entirely free, but provides a wide range of food for a very low cost to support people living in food poverty. Unlike a Food bank, you don’t need a voucher to access food support, you can self-refer by getting in touch with your local Coventry Food Hub.

• To donate food to your local food hub: see https://www.coventryfoodnetwork.org.uk/our-locations for your local food hub location and opening hours.
• To donate money to Coventry Food Network via JustGiving please visit The Coventry Food Network - JustGiving(External link)
• To volunteer your time contact your local food hub https://www.coventryfoodnetwork.org.uk/our-locations

Coventry Foodbanks

Coventry Food Banks provide a minimum of three days’ emergency food to people in crisis, alongside additional support.

Food banks work with frontline professionals to identify people who need support and give them a food bank voucher. These professionals include local agencies like Family Hubs, housing associations, advice services, and social care, who are best placed to assess need.

Foodbank clients bring their voucher to a foodbank centre where it can be redeemed for three days’ emergency food. Volunteers meet clients over a warm drink or free hot meal and can signpost people to agencies able to solve the longer-term problem.

• To donate food to your local foodbank see Donate food - Coventry Foodbank(External link) for locations.
• To donate money to Coventry Foodbank https://coventryfoodbank.org.uk/give/(External link)
• To volunteer your time email volunteering@coventry.foodbank.org.uk(External link)

If you have a local business and would like to arrange a company food collection or monetary donation, please get in touch communityresilience@coventry.gov.uk(External link)

All Saints Church Allesley

The Community Resilience Team has worked with All Saints Church in Allesley Village to secure a £20,000 grant from the National Lottery Fund to support their essential community initiatives.

This funding will enable the church to continue to provide a kitchen facility for refugee women, providing a space to prepare homemade meals. This initiative not only allows the women to cook for their dietary needs, often unmet by their current accommodation, but also fosters opportunities for the women to build friendships, receive support, and connect with the local community. One outcome of the project was a community member being able to bake a birthday cake for her children—something that would not have been possible otherwise.

The grant will also contribute to utility costs to cover community group activities, fund gardening tools for local clean-up events, and support the church’s ongoing programs for young people.

Public access bleed control kits

The Community Resilience Team connected the Hillfields Muslim Association (Masjid-E-Zakariyya), and Coventry City Council's Community Safety Team, to provide Public Access Bleed Control Kits which will be located at the mosque on Berry Street.

These life-saving kits are equipped with essential tools to manage severe bleeding effectively during emergencies, offering critical support until professional medical help arrives.

Their availability in public spaces means the equipment can be used quickly which could potentially help save lives.

Pictured is Ghulam Vora Ghulam Vohra, Vice Chairman, Coventry Muslim Forum receiving the kits.

If your community venue could benefit from a Public Access Bleed Kit, please contact communityresilience@coventry.gov.uk(External link) for more information.