200 dinners and desserts delivered weekly to feed the hungry in Wokingham

The Salvation Army in Wokingham has been delivering hot food to keep those most in need fed in the wake of the pandemic.

The church and charity initially started serving meals to take away in September, when they were offering appointments for their tenancy, benefits and welfare support as an alternative to their usual drop-in service.

But, as the third national lockdown started in January, the team in Wokingham began a delivery service to provide a hot meal to a person in need straight to their front door.

Captain Jan Howlin, Church Leader at Wokingham Salvation Army, said: “Providing food to vulnerable people is nothing new to us, but when we went into lockdown in January, we decided that we needed to try and keep as many people at home as possible, so we starting delivering hot meals ourselves.

“As a church, we’re really passionate about what we do. We have a large group of staff and volunteers who help to prepare and distribute food on a rota basis. We’re also fortunate to have been supported by our amazing local community with food donations and a large freezer for storage.”

A meal and a dessert is delivered each day to those who need it, which equates to around 200 portions a week, alongside other treats donated by the community.

Captain Howlin adds “It’s not just about the food; it’s an opportunity for a welfare check too. When we deliver the meals, it gives us a chance for a quick doorstep chat, to check whether they have any concerns, if they have any medical needs, or need help with their finances. We can react quite quickly to help them get the help they need and refer them to our other service areas within the organisation.”