The Isle of Wight Community Rail Partnership has been successful in its bid for another substantial grant of £20,000 to support ‘Food on The Move’, now in its 4th year, bringing the total raised for this vital community support to nearly £400,000. The grant, from the Household Support Fund from the Isle of Wight Council, means that the weekly food provision will support vulnerable families and individuals for another 20 weeks – and at the worst time of year for people struggling in the Summer holidays and in the run-up to Christmas. The Community Rail Partnership, which works closely with the Island’s housing associations, adult social services, charities, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary and other local organisations, is given referrals for help daily, and stalwart Ali Smith from the Gaslight Café at Sandown Railway Station, closed since the pandemic, is able to help with volunteers, for parcel pick ups, or deliveries. Food on the Move started in late March 2020 as the world went into lockdown and has helped support literally thousands of families and those in need, with fresh and non-perishable groceries, whether for a few weeks or longer term, but always with help and support to other organisations to assist with need. Bobby Lock, Community Rail Manager for the Isle of Wight Community Rail Partnership (CRP), says
“This is a project that has gone from strength to strength with first the pandemic, and people losing their jobs, to the now exponential rise in the cost of living and the impact this is causing on families and individuals. It is sad in this day and age that our communities have to rely on food banks and this sort of support, but we are just delighted that, with all of our funders, we have been able to do so”
Funding to date has come from South Western Railway, Wightlink, Southern Vectis, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation, the National Lottery, Wight Aid, Isle of Wight Council ‘Connect4Communities’ and the Household Support Fund.
Bob Geldolf has been replaced by ‘forced’ to give charity aid, whereby companies like Tesco donate food to improve their image yet as with our generous council, it is those who DO pay their way in life , now having the ‘choice’ of whether to give or not taken from them.
So we all know pay more on our council tax to fund food for the breeders who pay none.
Disgusting.
I get that English probably isn’t your first language, but do try to make an effort to integrate a bit more.
Cheese is the most noble form of milk
20 weeks is not a long time, what happens after that.????
Perhaps after 20 weeks those happy to whinge, but lay on the beach every day watching other fools feed , house and clothe their various ‘ fathered’ offspring by doing a mere 16 hours or no work at all, will all get full time jobs.
Or as Winter approaches sit in nail bars , watch tv shows and send pouting photos to other’Muvers’ and maybe have another child to up the allowance and gain a larger free house.
I wonder which it will be?
We’ve got an extremely generous benefits system that people are literally risking their lives to get here to be part of, so what are all these ‘vulnerable families and individuals’ doing with their cash handouts? Obviously, they’re not spending it on food.
Maybe our money, which the Council seem very keen to hand out on our behalf, would be better spent on teaching people the basics of monetary budgeting.