Supporting and connecting with the surrounding community is at the heart of Hornsey Vale Community Centre’s mission. Two examples of this work include our monthly Lunch Club, and our work with surplus food distribution.
The monthly Lunch Club is an opportunity for local residents to mingle and enjoy a sit-down two course meal prepared by a chef. Lunch is usually served 1-2 pm followed by tea/coffee and is open to all, for a £5 charge. Christmas sees a special festive meal and is a highlight of the Lunch Club calendar.
For Lunch Club, the centre has forged a new relationship with the Hornsey Food Bank, who have sent a small number of people to receive a free meal donated by one of our volunteers. On seeing the great value we offer, the Food Bank will be publicising it to more of their visitors, who they think will be able to avail of a cheap and convivial afternoon eating lovely food and saving on heating.
The community centre has also now developed a system for distributing excess food kindly donated by M&S in Muswell Hill. Local residents and centre users are invited to come at an assigned time on Monday to get what they want from our fridges and the remainder goes to Abyssinia Court—sheltered accommodation for vulnerable people —down the road. More recently, we have also delivered bread to the Kurdish Advice Centre who feed local residents (Kurdish and non) around the Campsbourne estate, while non-perishables go to the Food Bank.
We welcome these connections with our community and hope to continue to grow them in the future. If you would like to participate as a volunteer in any of these initiatives, please get in touch at info@hornseyvale.org.