Friday 3rd July 2020
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Report written by Leticia Bessel
This week I was able to come to Kingston Gate Church again, along with Luís, to help move the Brite Boxes being made and transported by the charity Voices of Hope. The boxes contain ingredients and cooking instructions, and are given to children of local families as a fun activity and an encouragement to cook meals from scratch.
Upon arrival any volunteer has to sanitise their hands and measure their body temperature with a thermometer gun. I was running at a reassuringly average temp of 36.7°C whilst it turns out Luís is a cold-blooded (but friendly!) creature, at 34.5°C.
Up until a few days ago the church's lift was broken, so GG volunteers have been helping to take boxes and up and down several flights of stairs. However, they have fortunately fixed the lift. Therefore Luís and I loaded boxes into the lift and moved them down to the ground level ready for transportation. Maneuvering around the obstacles was difficult at times but we only had one or two near misses! After that we waited for each car and van to turn up and helped to fit the boxes into them according to destination.
Despite feeling like we did less hard work than previous weeks when the lift was broken, the people dealing with the logistics of the boxes were still very grateful for our help, as they were able to focus on the management side of things, taking constant phone calls and making sure that incoming cars didn't cause traffic problems in the alley.
We look forward to helping Voices of Hope again in the future!
In the midst of the current crisis we shall continue to seek to be a voice of hope to all. We are working closely with Kingston Council and Kingston Voluntary Action. We have been designated responsibility as a central food distribution point for the whole of Kingston borough, with the aim of providing support to the most vulnerable in our community including the homeless, the isolated and those whose income is inadequate to meet their daily needs
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