Supporting Our Lisburn Castlereagh Community
June 17, 2020
Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic we have helped to deliver food parcels to vulnerable members of our community right across Lisburn Castlereagh.
Working in partnership with the Department for Communities (DfC) and our local community and voluntary sector, including local foodbanks, the DfC food parcel scheme has been a lifeline to many who found themselves in unforeseen and challenging circumstances.
Speaking about the community response the Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Councillor Nicholas Trimble, said: “The council is pleased to have been able to work with the Department for Communities in implementing the food parcel scheme as a key part of our community response to the pandemic; and in a time when our residents were having to shield or found themselves financially vulnerable we were able to step in and provide support at a local level.
“Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a network around them so it is more important now than ever to make all members of our community feel supported and part of a wider family. As a council we quickly mobilised our community response with a central helpline to provide a listening ear or a helping hand and through redeployment the food parcel team was set up to get things moving.
“For many the delivery of a weekly food parcel was their only source of food and for some it was the only contact they had with other people. I am delighted to lend further support to nourish our community by selecting Lisburn Foodbank and Dundonald Foodbank as my Mayoral Charities in the year ahead. The vital service they provide means they will put food on many tables and assist in alleviating the worries of many who struggle with this challenge.”
Chairman of Leisure and Community Development, Alderman Michael Henderson, MBE, added: “We will continue to support the most vulnerable members of our community for the best outcome. Through driving forward a true partnership approach, working with our statutory partners and our community and voluntary sector, we will focus on specific community issues such as financial hardship, food poverty and mental health as we move through the Covid-19 recovery phase and through the remaining period of our community plan up to 2032.”
The current DfC food parcel scheme is due to end on Friday 26th June 2020. Additional funding has been identified to extend the programme beyond this date only for those who are asked to shield by their GP and have no other help to access food. Those people who are shielding and have previously registered their need for a food box through the Covid-19 Community Helpline will automatically continue to receive a food box until 31 July.
If you believe that you still need help to access food beyond 26th June please call the COVID-19 Community Helpline on 0808 802 0020, text ACTION to 81025, or email: covid19@adviceni.net to be matched to the right local help that best meets your needs.
Please note other sources of food supplies are available, including through deliveries from local or national food retailers or possibly through family, neighbours or friends. You can check who is delivering food in your area by using our Community Directory https://communitysupport.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/ or you can contact our Community Helpline, Monday – Friday (9am – 5pm) on 028 9244 7713 or email: community.services@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk