Charity spotlight: Clockhouse Community Centre

• As part of our #FeedYourCommunity initiative, we've been working alongside Virtu Financial, one of our generous customers that has donated money to the cause, and Sands Catering to deliver food donations to Clockhouse Community Centre. We caught up with Kevin McBrien, Manager at The Clockhouse, to find out more about what the organisation does and how they're making a difference to the local community during the COVID-19 crisis.

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• Tell us a little bit about The Clockhouse and what you do?
  

• We are based in Woolwich Dockyard and are the central Hub for the local community, working with and supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our local population. The Clockhouse has a proud tradition of being at the heart of the community, offering a warm welcoming space where people can come to access services and support. The centre is a particular lifeline for groups such as the over 60’s, single parents, those who may not speak English as their first language, and many families and individuals who live in acute poverty.

• How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the community centre?
  

  We are effectively closed to the public for all of our normal group activities, exercise classes, tuition, and training etc., and our Community Cafe is also closed. But since April 2020 we have been operating our own Free Food Hub providing a wide range of food to the most vulnerable and socially isolated local residents.
  

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• Do you think that community has become even more important during the pandemic?

• Without a doubt. The pandemic has shown there is a huge amount of generosity and goodwill within all communities to help support those most in need of help. People’s awareness of how prevalent poverty is has increased and there is a heightened sense of wanting to help your neighbours.  

• Just Eat for Business has been working with Clockhouse since October. How has this partnership helped the centre and the wider community?
  

  The involvement and generosity of Just Eat for Business, Virtu Financial, and Sands Catering has been hugely important to the Clockhouse. The food we receive is of very high quality and the dishes you provide reflect the varied and different cultural groups the Clockhouse work with. We are immensely grateful and thankful to everyone involved for their kindness.

If you'd like to donate meals to our #FeedYourCommunity initiative in order to support local communities as well as key workers, please get in touch with your Account Manager or email foodguru@citypantry.com. Thank you!