A community project delivering food to those in need or stuck in isolation in Stockport has issued an urgent appeal for donations after fearing they might not make it through Christmas.
Launched at the start of the lockdown last year, the Handy Ladies Feeding The Community group began when friends Joanne Walton and Anna Lawler set out to try and help those struggling.
Having run their own cleaning business for seven years, the two - who became friends while at school - decided to start preparing and delivering meals to those around Stockport.
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Before too long, the project went from 13 meals a day to now more than 600 a week - and it’s constantly growing.
Three days a week, the project will make hearty meals and deliver them to those in vulnerable positions - whether they’re elderly, ill, disabled, or financially struggling.
“We just set out to help and feed people,” Joanne, 53, from Cheadle, told the M.E.N.
“Our cleaning business was always set up to make a difference. It was about not wanting anyone to feel vulnerable in their own home.
“The idea just stemmed from there really and from us wanting to help those struggling.”
The Handy Ladies volunteers prepare their own meals, like salads, soups or roast dinners, while local community groups and organisations, like Spreading Smiles, also donate food, such as freshly-made curries, cupboard staples or homemade cakes.
More than 100 volunteers - including 19 drivers - help prepare, package and deliver the meals from their temporary base at Ladybridge Park Residents Club in Cheadle Hulme - which they have been using since the floor of their previous location collapsed.
“We’re having to do all of this without a fridge,” Joanne explained.
“We have to cook the food and send it out on the day. It’s been difficult but we’re making it work. We have to.”
But, since its inception, the project has become something more than just a food delivery service.
It’s become a lifeline in many other senses too.
“It’s a vital service and we didn’t realise how much of a need there was,” Joanne added.
“It’s scary that so many people don’t know about the situation that a lot of people are in - I certainly didn’t realise the extent of how bad things were until we set this up.
“We just picked a stone up and discovered that there were all these people who had been forgotten about and were falling through the cracks
“They’d just been left for years and years - well before the pandemic.”
For many who use the service, it can also be one of their only interactions with other people.
“Some people are quite shy and there’s others who will chat to you about all of their ailments,” volunteer driver and director Tim Harper, 60, said.
“You get used to them so you know whether some will want to come to the door or not. Everyone is different.”
It’s that connection and importance that has made the project what it is today.
“During the lockdown, a lot of organisations and social workers weren’t going into houses so we were getting a lot more calls for welfare checks,” Joanne said.
“Our volunteers will usually talk to people while delivering their food and that five minutes they take to ensure they’re okay can often mean the world to them.”
It’s also meant that the volunteers have had to go beyond just delivering food when finding people in vulnerable situations.
“If no-one answers the door, the drivers delivering the food will let us know and we’ll ring round afterwards to check they’re okay and if they received their meal,” Anna, 54, said.
“We have had times where people have fallen over and we’ve had to raise the alarm bells and knock doors down.
“We’ve had people who have been stuck in the bath for two days shouting through their front doors for us to help them - it’s become a really crucial safety net for the community.
“If we weren’t there, they may have been there all week without anyone to help them.”
Speaking about another instance, Joanne said: “There was a woman who’s mum passed away and she told us that she couldn’t afford flowers for the coffin at the funeral.
“We spoke to one florist who was able to donate some flowers for the coffin and another gave us a discount so we all chipped in to buy her some flowers to carry at the funeral.
“You don't have a contingency fund for things like that, but to not be able to put some flowers on your mum’s coffin is a bit sad really. It’s heartbreaking.”
You can donate to Handy Ladies Feeding The Community here.
The project is also a first port of call for other organisations trying to provide people with support. They often refer them to the Handy Ladies for support, but also reach out for other things too.
“One organisation got in touch with us to tell us there were four children sleeping on the floor because they didn’t have any beds,” Joanne said.
“We were straight on Facebook and were inundated with offers so we’re getting them sorted to get delivered.”
But, despite the obvious significance and importance of the project, they are facing a bleak outlook.
Without further support, they may have to close their doors as the cost of running things continues and referral numbers rise.
“It costs us £1,000 a week to do what we do,” Anna explained.
“When the numbers first started going up, we had a conversation where we decided that the maximum number of people we could provide for was about 50.
“We’re now serving around 250 a day, but we can’t turn people down.
“People come to us who have just come out of hospital and their carers only have time to make them a quick sandwich, how do you say no to them?”
The project is supported by donations from people in the area, while 3 pc of the profits from the Handy Ladies cleaning company is also donated towards Feeding the Community.
While it has also received funding from the likes of the National Lottery and Stockport Council, the project is still struggling to make ends meet - especially as the busiest time of the year looms over them.
“We’ve got to a point where we need help,” Joanne said.
“We’ve never set this up as a money-making business. We’re not paying for flashy cars or swanky offices, we just set up during Covid to help people.
“Everything has been stacked up against us - we had nowhere to work from, then Mark and Paul from Richard Lloyd very kindly offered to pay rent for us at a new premises and then the roof collapsed - but we’ve made it work.
"People have opened up their hearts and kitchens to help us. But we still need to pay people for things. Our money is dwindling. I think it would be devastating if we had to stop what we're doing.”
“There isn’t anywhere that does hot meals or delivers food like this in the area,” Tim adde.
“These are people who have mostly fallen through the cracks and been forgotten about. I don’t know where else they would turn to if this wasn’t here.”
The project is holding a fundraising event on December 18 at Ladybridge Park Residents Club where a raffle, live music and a buffet will take place.
All money raised from the event will go towards preparing and delivering meals on Christmas day for its service users.
“We’re hoping that can keep us going into next year,” Joanne said.
“We will be providing Christmas meals for people and we’re also hoping to be able to give them a Christmas present as well.”
Going into the new year, the group has ambitions in mind that will help them earn money that can then be invested back into their efforts.
“We’re hoping to be able to stand on our own two feet more by providing a frozen meal or catering service which people can pay for at an affordable price,” Joanne explained.
“That’ll enable us to put money back into what we do to help us move forward and survive.
“We all have sleepless nights because we don’t know how long we can continue doing what we’re doing.
“Having hundreds of conversations with people telling them that we can’t do this anymore would be absolutely devastating.
“It’s absolutely imperative that we survive.”
To donate towards the Handy Ladies Feeding the Community project, click here.
