June Newsletter
Volunteers Week 2022
Ride London 2022
Hear from Frank, Rachael and Richard about why they took this challenge:
Ride London | Pecan (1 minute video)
Thank you to Frank, Richard, Rachael (above) and Sally | 29 May at Ride London 2022
Amazing results by our volunteer riders at Ride London 2022, who took up the 100-mile race challenge to fundraise for Pecan. So far, thanks to the great efforts of Rachael, Sally, Richard, and Frank, we have raised £1,600. You can still donate to our cyclists to keep the total rising and support Pecan to help to end food poverty:- Rachael Bourke: ridelondon.enthuse.com/pf/rachael-bourke
- Frank Cameroon: ridelondon.enthuse.com/pf/frank-cameron
- Richard Rayner: ridelondon.enthuse.com/pf/richard-rayner
Pecan Services
Southwark Foodbank | How to make a referral
‘Volunteers are the lifeblood of Southwark Foodbank. Our services simply would not be able to operate without their time, support, dedication, and compassion. We want to say a huge thank you to all our volunteers across the foodbank for everything they do!’
-Emily, Southwark Foodbank Administrator
‘I needed help from the foodbank about 3 years ago with food parcels as I was struggling financially. I was treated with such respect by the people there it made me feel like giving something back, so I started to volunteer in the warehouse and have done ever since. I find everyone at the foodbank and at Pecan so friendly, it’s like having an extended family and miss it if I can’t make some days.’
-Pecan volunteer
Southwark Foodbank are committed to seeing a UK without the need for foodbanks. We continue to address the immediate need for food provision across the borough whilst wanting to reverse the increase in food bank use, working towards a future where foodbanks are no longer needed. Two new roles have been funded to support and direct this vision. We welcome Erhire Okpomo as our Client Service Officer who will play a key role in supporting foodbank clients to tackle the issues that have led them to rely on the foodbank. Working closely with our four foodbank centres, Erhire will provide effective signposting and support, empowering clients with information and the tools to change their situations. Flora Schweighofer has recently joined the team as our Community Engagement Officer (Food Security). Flora will be leading us in our campaigning work to make change happen! Working closely with the Trussell Trust, Flora will be looking at how we can organise as a community in Southwark and with community members with lived experience of food insecurity.
A call to action to share:
We will not end the need for foodbanks through supporting people to find a way out of crisis, we also need to see new policy directions that help to level up the most disadvantaged households in our community. To this purpose, we would ask supporters to sign the Trussell Trusts Campaign on the current cost of living crisis:
Petition: Food banks cannot and should not pick up the pieces of UK government inaction against the rising cost of living
Link: action.trusselltrust.org/Cost-of-living-petition
Foodbank Friday
On the 27 May a team from Pecan, along with some volunteers from Ernest & Young and Boyer, headed to London Bridge Station to fundraise for Southwark Foodbank on #FoodbankFriday. It was a great experience, and we were able to raise £666.56! Thank you so much to everyone who donated and a massive thank you to Ernest & Young and Boyer for your support.
Volunteer with us for Foodbank Friday
We are re-starting #FoodbankFriday, so we will be back at London Bridge Station on the last Friday of each month. If you would like to volunteer with us then please email our Fundraising Manager, Shahrukh Sohail: shahrukh.sohail@pecan.org.uk
Next session: Friday 24 June, 7-10am
Ambassadors give their time freely at Peckham Pantry. Many have joined us from being members and want to get involved in the community. The Ambassadors are key to providing the right atmosphere for an uplifting and vibrant shopping experience.
What do you love about volunteering for Pecan? ‘Mainly the social aspect, hanging out with people I made long-lasting friendships with during the early months of Covid – we went through that scary time together and kept each other sane during that first lockdown when life had turned upside down. I also adore sorting things into type, I find it very soothing, and there’s plenty of that to be done!’ – Jo, 18 months at Pantry and 2 years and 2 months at Southwark Foodbank Please note: The Pantry is closed on Thursday 2 June for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday and re-opens on Friday 3 June.
‘Be kind and compassionate and don’t judge books by their cover.’ – AnnMarie
In the Women’s Service our aim is to provide gender-specific and personalised support, helping to equip women with the tools and resources to address their needs in a relaxed and welcoming space. However, volunteer support is also invaluable and we want to say thank you to them all and for AnnMarie’s inspiring words below: AnnMarie on Voluteering for SLWS Alyssa: What did you love about volunteering for us? AnnMarie: Definitely meeting other women, especially from a foster care background as I have been a foster carer for many years myself. It was good to share stories with women who had gone through similar experiences to me and share my own story too. Alyssa: Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to volunteer, particularly for SLWS? AnnMarie: Have an open mind. A lot of the women who come to the hubs are expecting to be judged because they are used to that and many people can be very judgemental. They deserve a chance and not to be judged right away. Be kind and compassionate and don’t judge books by their cover. I learned this through fostering; trust and form your own judgement on characters. And be thick skinned; lots of the women have been through tough experiences and express themselves in their own ways and sometimes this can be quite blunt, but again this is something you shouldn’t judge on too quickly.
Our Employment Service supports their clients to gain skills which help them on their journey to find employment and in some cases voluntary work. Once you have enrolled with the team you can access FREE training. In June and July 2022 we have a programme for people looking to get started with a career in construction.
- Enrolment Date: Wednesday 1 June Location: Southwark Construction Skills Centre | Duration: 3 Week programme
- Enrolment Date: Thursday 23 June Location: Southwark Construction Skills Centre | Duration: 1 Week programme
- Enrolment Date: Thursday 28 July Location: Southwark Construction Skills Centre | Duration: 3 Week programme
Sabrina on volunteering with HOurBank
‘I enjoy volunteering as it’s a chance to connect and share new ideas.’
– Sabrina has been a volunteer with us for 2 years!
Community Noticeboard
Useful links to campaigns, local organisations and events that aim to transform lives:
- SLaM Recovery College | Course Enrolment and Timetable: https://forms.office.com/r/WDcymkeU3k | SLaM Timetable – Please email hello@slamrecoverycollege.co.uk for more information about any student support needs.
- Conversation Cafe | Saturdays from 11 June to 6 August 2022, 11am-12.30pm | More details – Free, friendly and informal! Conversation Cafe at Camberwell Library is an event to help the Latin American (Spanish and Portuguese speaking) to practice their English through simple conversations.
- City of Stories | 21 June, 6-8pm | More details and book a free space – A special event at Canada Water library celebrating the launch of the City of Stories Home Anthology, featuring talented new writers from across London, alongside published authors.
- Scrufts Dog Show | Brunswick Park, Saturday 2 July, 1-4pm | More details and book a free space – A fun afternoon for all the family. Lots of categories to choose from including: Best Puppy (3-18months), Musical Sit, Best Rescue, Waggiest Tail and many more.
- Peckham Extended | More details – A series of FREE creative and wellbeing workshops for our local community.
Illustration (c) Peckham Extended
Let’s Connect
If you have any information to share about local organisations and events that support and empower our community, please email: tracey.francis@pecan.org.uk
Vacancies
Trustees | 3 Year Term We are looking to recruit up to four trustees that are committed Christians, care about the needs of people in Southwark and have skills in strategic decision-making.
Southwark Foodbank Driver | Part-time | Temporary, self-employed contractor | Flexible hours | Based in and around Southwark
Mental Health Advocate | Part-time | £26,500 – £28,500 P.A Pro Rata | 28.8 hours per week | Fixed-term 1-Year Contract | Based in Southwark
Women’s Service Advocate | Full-time | £26,514.16 P.A Pro Rata | 36 hours per week | Fixed-term 3-Year Contract | Based in Southwark and Lewisham
