Three local charities have organised a free community Mother’s Day brunch, for sixty of Hackney’s mothers.
The event will take place on Friday 25 March at Banister House Community Hall in Homerton and will be run entirely by a team of volunteers.
Hackney Community Closet, Bridge the Gap-Families in Need and Connecting all Communities have collaborated for this community effort. The event will include a buffet lunch, a raffle and games.
?HEY MAMA!?
? This Mother’s Day we’ve partnered up with @BTGFIN2020 & @connectingcomm3 to give 60 mums a special Mothers Day lunch this Fri!?????????
? Huge thanks to @wickaward for a small #communitychest grant going towards the event costs. We’re so grateful! ?????????? pic.twitter.com/rrjptqhgvp
— The Community Closet (@ClosetHackney) March 20, 2022
“It’s been a hard year for so many families,” said Krista Brown, founder of the Hackney Community Closet. “For a lot of the families we work with, this will be their only Mother’s Day treat or gift. We want them to know we see them, we support them, and we appreciate the hard work they do every day.”
Hackney Community Closet
The Community Closet is a clothing, school-uniform, toys and baby equipment bank, based in the Kingshold Community Centre in the Victoria ward of Hackney. The non-profit organisation is collecting donations of toiletries, plants, mugs, chocolate, candles, perfumes, jewellery and makeup to provide those attending with goodie hampers.
Bridge the Gap-Families in Need
Another of the charities, Bridge the Gap, is a community interest company (CIC), which aims to combat digital poverty by distributing unwanted laptops to residents who needed one in order to access online learning during the pandemic. The initiative operates from a community centre in the Victoria ward
The founder of Bridge the Gap, Melissa Francis, said: “I thought it would be a good idea to get mothers of our community together to celebrate each other and their roles as mums. It’s also an empowering way to get them involved in their community. As mums ourselves, this shows a strong collective of women doing wonderful things to make a great impact.”
Connecting all Communities
Volunteer-led organisation, Connecting all Communities, is providing the food for the event. The Dalston-based CIC served residents who could not afford meals during the pandemic. Since 2013, it has been helping Arab and East African communities in Hackney to tackle social isolation through language classes and support networks.
The initiative has been made possible by the community grant received from the Wick Award, a local project funded by the National Lottery supporting local initiatives. The grant will go towards the event costs, as well as the food, decorations and the hall hire.
To donate items for the hampers, follow @ClosetHackney @BTGFIN2020 and @connectingcomm3 on Twitter
