St Mary's Church Ash Vale
Access to food
The Ash Villages Food Parcels Project serves our neighbours in Ash, Ash Vale, Ash Green and Tongham. We deliver emergency food and toiletries to local people in crisis, and offer a listening ear.
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About this cause
St Mary's is the local parish church in Ash Vale. As well as Sunday services, we love to serve our amazing community all week long. We host community groups – everything from toddlers to choir to Friday Community Cafe. Nearby, we work with the local Methodist Circuit to run the Chapel Project on Wharf Rd, very close to the Co-op. We offer a Monday Chapel Cafe and warm hub there, host the Chapel Kids toddler group with lunch club, and provide summer picnics, monthly makes and other community, creativity and arts events. In these difficult times our most important project is the Ash Villages Food Parcels Project (and our Community Fridge opening Summer 2023). We work together with a superb team of volunteers from church and the Ash Villages Support Circle, feeding 20-40 families every week.
How this cause brings people in the community together
Our Food Parcels project helps local people in crisis, providing emergency food and toiletries. Referrals come from CAB, Wellbeing Team, Social Services, DWP and local churches too. As well as food, we offer a listening ear, and help to connect people to other sources of help, including Chapel Cafe and local warm hubs. We are connecting with people to battle against the anxiety, isolation and mental strain that goes hand in hand with food poverty. New for 2023 is the community fridge, a super way for us to feed more families and reduce food waste in the community. We can all work together to make sure that none of our neighbours go hungry. Our volunteers are amazing at what they do.