Hackney teenagers keen to help neighbours run community food shop

Tap above to watch video report by Katie Barnfield

A group of young people on a Hackney estate are giving up their free time to run a community food shop for their neighbours. 25 volunteers - some as young as 15 - work at the Kingsmead community food shop every week. They manage deliveries, put together food bags and even hand deliver food to their elderly neighbours. Anyone who lives in the local community and needs help can get enough food to feed a family for a week for £8. Some of the young people have lived on the estate in Hackney their whole lives - and told ITV News London working at the shop has given them a purpose. The project was started by Joyclen Buffong from youth organisation Rise365, and Kiran Chahal from Made Up Kitchen who make community meals from surplus food. They began delivering hot meals to local people during the pandemic, and have now started the shop so people can cook their own meals and feed their families cheaply. Some of the food is donated by charities like the Felix Project, but the team say they need more funding to keep the shop going. 

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