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How we're helping

7/2/2021

Thanks to support from friends, partners and businesses in the local area we’re providing a bag of essential groceries and toiletries to 70-80 families every week, with half a dozen more bags being delivered to people who aren’t able to leave their homes. That means that since the start of lockdown until the beginning of February we’ve handed out around 2800 bags.

We’ve also managed to keep a remote advice service going, which currently handles around 20 enquiries a month. Thanks to all our volunteers who are making that possible.a

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The Peckham Park Road Pizza Oven

22/10/2020

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There are good smells coming from behind Peckham Park Road Baptist Church. Robert, the garden project co-ordinator, is laying out some fresh ingredients on a makeshift table, Peter is chopping firewood, a handful of other regulars are relaxing in the sun. And a wisp of smoke is coming from what looks like a huge white beehive on legs.

It’s the pizza oven that Robert and his team have built. The design looks simple, but it’s taken a year to put together. I ask Robert what he knew before he started. “I watched a lot of videos” he says. So the team learned together.

They had to build a stone base, and a wooden structure round it to keep it dry while it was under construction. “It needs a good hat and a good pair of boots” says Robert. Each layer has to dry before the next is laid on, the walls have to be the right thickness, the door must be the right size… it’s a complicated business.

So is stretching dough. Mine is too thick and not really even round. “It looks like a map of Africa” says G to cheer me up. I load it with some tomato puree that Robert has brought from his home-grown supply, some mozzarella and basil. In the right season there are toppings ready to pick in the vegetable garden too. Peter loads it onto his long-handled shovel and we push it into the heart of the oven.

The pizza is done in just a few minutes. Pizza isn’t the right word though: there are people from Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Iran and Eritrea in the garden on the day I visit and all of them grew up with variations on this oven in their back yards. It’s an oven for whatever kind of bread, for eating together, for relaxing, for remembering, and for enjoying what a bit of imagination and good teamwork can make possible.

I wonder aloud what the future of the oven is. “It should last, if we look after it” says Robert. “The dream would to set up some kind of delivery service to isolated clients who can’t make the journey to the centre, but the problem is getting it out to them” he admits. The logistics are prohibitive, sadly. So for now it’s a very welcome treat for just a few: hot, fresh and just a little bit smoky.

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Huge food bank donation from Dulwich College

22/10/2020

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A magnificent donation to our food bank this week from students and staff at Dulwich College. With the weather getting worse, and more restrictions looming, donations are more valuable to us than ever. It’s wonderful for us to know that we have strong support out there in the community. Thank you so much!

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Romeo's Walk

30/9/2020

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Friend of SDCAS Phil Cox has walked 2800 km because his 10 year-old son Romeo, who lives in Sicily, wanted to see his Grandma in London. He’d been impressed by the big journeys made by some of the refugees he’d met in Sicily and wondered why he shouldn’t do the same. All in aid of their excellent refugee charity REACT. Here’s the story
http://reactweb.org/?page_id=532

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Crowdfunding Success

12/8/2020

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Thanks so much to everyone who has been donating throughout this difficult period. The recent Crowdfunder raised £15,525, which we are delighted with. Special thanks to our donors at Aviva, who were very generous in helping us over the line. In addition to that many people have been holding special events for us, from cake sales, birthday fundraisers and concerts in gardens to live online gigs and a cover of the Bellamy Brothers' 70’s classic Let Your Love Flow from the Nunhead Community Choir which will surely stand as the definitive Zoom version. We’ve also had lots of cheques sent in. Apart from the money raised, it’s been a great chance to connect with our community and realise how much support there is out there. We’re hugely grateful to everyone who has helped out, and we'll be spending it where it is most needed.

We get emergency parcels of food and toiletries to about 90 families every week, with more coming every time, almost all of them families not on benefits. That’s been made possible because of very generous donations from individuals, with people dropping off supplies at the Peckham Park Road Centre, as well as help from Morrison’s, who have been very generous donors in kind. And we couldn’t be doing it without Pecan and the Albrighton Centre.

We have 5 advisors working mostly over the phone, and we now have funding for an interpretation service.

We’ve been working hard at fundraising elsewhere too, so we can look ahead at what else we can do. The first thing we’re focussing on is client connectedness, and we have already purchased phones and even laptops for individuals and families who are shielding and have no other way of staying in touch with us.

We also want to develop projects in mental health therapy and homelessness, partnering with other local agencies where it helps.

It’s a demanding time, but we see the need every week as we go out to deliver to people in most need. Our staff and volunteers are more dedicated than ever, and thanks to our many supporters, we’re in good shape to take up the challenges.

In the meantime, please consider becoming a Friend if you haven’t already. It’s the best way of supporting our work regularly and helping us keep going.

Thank you everyone!

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sdcas news & Blogs

How we're helping

The Peckham Park Road Pizza Oven

Huge food bank donation from Dulwich College

Romeo's Walk

Crowdfunding Success

Categories

Follow us

© Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers 2016

Registered charity no: 1143912 Company no: 07519992

sdcas news & Blogs

How we're helping

The Peckham Park Road Pizza Oven

Huge food bank donation from Dulwich College

Romeo's Walk

Crowdfunding Success

Categories

Follow us

© Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers 2016 ​Registered charity no: 1143912 Company no: 07519992

© Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers 2016

Registered charity no: 1143912 Company no: 07519992