Last month saw The Salvation Army address holiday hunger in Caterham. Courtesy of The Westway Centre, ’Share Breakfast’ was delivered by The Salvation Army, Churches Together, Four Parishes Hub, the Trussell Trust and The Caterham Rotary Club, to children age 11 and under within the community. Local supermarkets Tesco and Morrisons also supported the initiative.
Due to the summers glorious weather it was possible for ‘Share Breakfast’ to be held outside in the grounds of The Westway.
Share Breakfast is a new development in Caterham and the concept is to be able to help and support families during the school breaks. Breakfast is served outside The Westway Community Centre from a British Red Cross donated gazebo.
Territorial Envoy Ailsa Flinders, of Caterham’s Salvation Army said; “We’ve got social distancing measures in place and the Rotary Club has distributed flyers as lots of children did not go back to school before the summer term ended and may not have heard that we were doing this. We’re also lucky that several local social media pages have picked up on it and are helping us to get the word out. Covid-19 has brought into focus families who were just managing and then wage earners were furloughed or made redundant. The benefits system does not cover the costs of living in Surrey and so debt is on the increase. For these often ‘middle-class’ families asking for help, visiting a foodbank, admitting to debt, finding out what the benefit system is like, is a massive struggle as they also grieve the loss of work and the status that comes with having work.”
The Salvation Army also provide food, household and baby boxes for local residents who are struggling both as a result of the pandemic.
