Pembroke House’s COVID-19 Appeal – An Update
Thank you to everyone who has made a gift in support of Pembroke House’s COVID-19 appeal. £93,000 of the £160,000 target has been raised so far, including £12,500 from Pembroke Members.
This support has helped support the work of Pembroke House as it has transformed itself in just over two months from a community and social action centre, to a food distribution hub supporting 1,500 people, provided online community activities and support, and developed wider essential neighbourhood resources.
To see the work that Pembroke House is doing in Walworth and hear from some of the amazing volunteers making it happen, you can sign up to attend a live virtual event on Tuesday 2nd June.
Food Distribution Hub
Pembroke House’s Emergency Food Distribution Hub, laid out in the charity’s Lower Hall, is delivering over 5 tonnes of food and hot meals every week to over 1,500 of the most vulnerable people in north Southwark.
The list of recipients is growing daily and Pembroke House anticipates that this number will increase for some time, even after lockdown is lifted. A large number of them are among the community members most vulnerable to COVID-19 and many were already facing financial difficulties and food insecurity prior to the current emergency.
The initiative has already had a big impact. Since it began:
- Over 4,200 food bags and 900 hot meals have been delivered
- 80 volunteer riders have cycled over 12,000km
“When you chat to people and leave the delivery, they are really thankful, happy and thrilled that there’s this service. It’s helping people a lot, having a really positive impact and I’m proud to be a part of it.” [Tom – Volunteer Delivery Rider]
Online Activities
Pembroke House has run over 75 hours of online activities to help community members continue to connect and look after their mental and physical wellbeing through lockdown, hosted on a new ‘virtual’ Walworth Living Room website: walworthlivingroom.org. Activities include a choir, dance classes, yoga sessions, creative writing classes, and a music group for babies, toddlers, and parents. So far, over 150 people have taken part.
“The Pembroke House music sessions have been a ray of light during lockdown. My little one and I look forward to Wednesday sessions and I'm constantly singing the songs we've learnt to our baby. This midweek pick me up is guaranteed to lift anyone's spirits.” [A participant]
Neighbourhood Resources
Thirdly, Pembroke House continues to develop essential neighbourhood resources to support the wider community, including a new website (walworthse17.info) that pulls together the most up-to-date information from essential support services to supermarkets and pharmacies in the area.
Can you help?
Since its launch on 18 April, Pembroke House has raised £93,000, through donations from individuals and 2 emergency COVID-19 funds. This just over 58% of the target they have set themselves to raise £160,000 in three months.
It is a great start, but there is a long way to go. To get there, Pembroke House needs Pembroke Members and friends to carry on coming together, spreading the word, and if they can, donating.
To make a donation, click here.
To spread the word on Facebook, click here.
To spread the word on Twitter, click here.
Image: Tom, volunteer delivery rider. Photographer: Rachel Elizabeth Photography