Page 37 - OUR VIBE ISSUE 2

A local helping hand. Together, we got this.
In October 2019, after hearing stories of how some families where struggling to make ends meet, Together NI was born. After some research, it was decided that our local community within east Belfast would benefit in helping one another through a social supermarket. A social supermarket receives food from a food redistributor charity Fareshare who sell surplus food from supermarkets and donations through local businesses and people who have heard calls for donations.
We began with a small team of volunteers. Through a parents and tots group we established a shared place for people to come and be met with a warm and welcoming environment and where they could ask for help.
We make weekly parcels for 30 clients but our numbers are continuing to increase. The parcels that we send include general cupboard staples as well as everyday necessities.
Within our first year of opening we have dealt with the Coronavirus pandemic. This gave us the idea of beginning a befriending service. Those
who were isolating, feeling lonely or overwhelmed received a daily phonecall to relieve the pressures they felt at that time. The feedback we had was overwhelming. People were so thankful for our service that we ran it again through our four week ‘circuit breaker.
We are so blessed to have such amazing volunteers at Together NI. Between packing, delivering, events, and fundraising we are truly grateful.
We are looking to the future at Together NI and at the moment with current world circumstances it is driving us to help more people who are need. Our CEO Christina Henderson explains “Together NI has reached its two year target within six months of operation. This rapid growth shines a light on the level of need in the areas of food provision and social Isolation in the Belfast area. Our clients rely heavily on our services. With our help we can guide them to a place of empowerment, better physical well- being and nutrition and of social inclusion.” She continues, “In the future we hope to expand our Social
Supermarket ensuring deliveries reach those who need it throughout Belfast. We hope to restart our planned workshops, grow our toddler group, begin work on our community garden, start our growers clubs and continue to bring the community low cost activities such as fairs, car boot sales and meals.”
Together we can help our community, because together we got this.
info@togetherni.com Tel: 07783 431 899
Together NI, Willowfield Bowling Club, Gibson Park Gardens, Belfast BT6 9GN (behind B&M on the Cregagh Road)
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