Monday 30th September
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Report written by Kash
There was a man (or maybe a woman?), who lived in Hanwell and was known among his (her?) friends for the compulsive behaviours. His mates didn't know the extent of those obsessions as the worst extravagances were taking place overnight. After midnight, when almost all the shops in Hanwell were closed, the man was heading to the petrol station on Church Road and buying a pack of Strongbow Dark Fruit and a handful of Mars bars to indulge in an uncontrollable feast behind a bus stop opposite the station. Fearful of being identified by fingerprints, the man always tore nine single-use plastic gloves off the diesel pump, then disappeared in the bushes surrounding St Mellitus Church.
How else would you explain copious amounts of cider cans, chocolate bar packaging, and - most importantly - plastic gloves that three GoodGymers found on a Monday night near the Ealing Foodbank in Hanwell? Harvey, Kash and Sevan were sure they solved the mystery of the Strongbow-Mars-bar-gloved-man, but could not figure out why the enigmatic individual hadn't disposed of his rubbish in the bin at the bus stop. Finally, Harvey, while pulling aside brambles to reach the obscured rubbish in the bushes, revealed a children's drawing with a slogan: Put litter in the bin. Suddenly, everything made sense. Who would have thought the bin was put at the bus stop to provide a place to throw away litter and keep the church and foodbank area tidy and welcoming?
It turned out that Ealing Foodbank not only needed a litter pick but would also benefit from weeding and cutting back overgrown bushes around the church. The GoodGymers would have loved a gardening session to uncover the Put litter in the bin sign and more rubbish to collect. Unfortunately, all their equipment consisted of litter pickers and waste bags. Harvey, Kash and Sevan made the best out of what they had and in an hour collected two full bags of rubbish to make the area surrounding the foodbank a more pleasant space.
We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry. That’s why we provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis. We are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.
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Help run drop-in service on a Friday where homeless can get free clothes and wellbeing services