My name is Muddassar and I'm raising much-needed funds for the Bow Food Bank so no one in my East London community would need to go hungry. When the pandemic began, I wanted to help as much as I could. Recently I was nominated as the Chair of the Bow Food Bank, one of London’s largest independent food banks.

Because of COVID-19, food poverty has drastically increased in all of UK. The members of already vulnerable communities are suffering the most, and as we have entered another lockdown, the numbers of people relying on food banks have gone through the roof.

The Bow Food Bank is a volunteer-led charity serving communities in East London, with two outlets, one in Bow and the other in Bethnal Green. We are now feeding over 750 adults and 1,100 children, every single week, even during national lockdowns.

Our local area has a poverty rate of 39%, the highest in London. We also have the highest child poverty rate in the country, and are home to the largest Muslim community in Britain. The single largest sub-set Bow Food bank serves are ethnic minorities, the Bangladeshi community, in particular.

Many of these people have never used a food bank before, but their circumstances have changed: some aren’t able to afford childcare, some are on zero-hour contracts and some have been made redundant. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of people that rely on our charity each week has increased by 800%.

I urge you to join me to raise much-needed funds for the Bow Food Bank so we can continue to support the most vulnerable members of our community. This is not about deciding what to eat tomorrow but knowing whether you will have anything to eat at all.

My target is to reach £10,000 in one month, starting today. With your help, I believe we can make this happen. We all have a responsibility to help our community. Small steps can make a huge difference.

- Muddassar

In The News: 

British Muslim Takes Action Over Food Crisis (Arab News)