6 May 2023. We are absolutely thrilled to share that we have received a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund to run our Food with Friends project for another year.
In November 2022, we received a Community Inclusion Fund from the Portsmouth City Council for Food with Friends. We match-funded, so that together we could host four events to cover the entirety of the winter months, from December 2022 to March 2023,
We are so delighted to be able to continue this programme tailored around migrant needs, now thanks to the National Lottery Community Grant. Our wish to create a socially-inclusive environment supports the aim of the National Lottery Community Grant to help communities prosper and thrive.
[Photo caption: Shipa Ahmed Khan and Isabela Palancean with Councillor Chris Attwell at the Award Ceremony in November 2022; and group photo at the January 2023 event.]
During winter, more than two-hundred participants, particularly families, were invited to our monthly Food with Friends events. The hybrid format combined a warm community meal with public health education at a critical time when the rising cost of living disproportionately impacts disadvantaged migrants.
The health sessions covered dental care, mental well-being, maternity care and basic first aid. These public health talks were supported by Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Portsmouth Dental Academy and Portsmouth University.
[Photo caption: Our speakers from left to right: Dr Carolina Machuca Vargas, Mahfuja Akhtar, Emma-Jane Mundle and Shipa Ahmed Khan]
In alignment with our commitment to an inclusive and sustainable economy, local small businesses were commissioned to do the catering. Sharing a nutritious warm meal in a safe and comfortable environment helped our guests to build ties with their community members and form friendships.
We thank the Portsmouth City Council for the pilot grant that helped us launch the first Food With Friends Project through the Community Inclusion Grant.
We thank our public health educators and our caterers who always packed in extra food.
Portsmouth – thank you for all the support, the solidarity and friendship of sharing a meal together. See you soon!
[All photo credits: WBI Archive]
