People are invited on an “outlandish fundraising walk” to help carry one tonne of donated food to a foodbank premises in Stonebridge after the charity’s vital electric van broke.
This Saturday Sufra NW London is hosting a Big Walk from 1pm to 4pm where volunteers will carry crates and drag yellow bins of food from Asda Wembley Superstore, in Forty Lane, to its premises in Pitfield Way.
The walk is to help launch the charity’s van appeal in the hope of raising £20,000 to buy a new vehicle in time for Christmas.
It has so far raised £7,612.
Rajesh Makwana, Sufra’s capacity building officer, said: “After five years of loyal service, collecting and distributing the equivalent of over half a million meals, our van suffered a fatal electric failure last month.
“It was going to go sooner or later, it was on its last legs anyway but it’s not viable to fix it.”
The charity distributes roughly 100 tonnes of food a year and serves more than 4,000 people.
He added: “Sufra is dependent on its van. It runs seven days a week, 365 days of the year.
“Though it operates mainly within a three miles radius, it has travelled over 10,000 miles in the last year.
Without it, the Food Bank might just as well close its doors.”
They are currently renting a van which Rajesh said is “unaffordable” costing the charity more than £800 a month.
“Demand for our services is definitely on rise so we need to get up and running as soon as we can,” he added.
“Without a van we can’t survive.”
The Big Walk will start at Asda, go past the Civic Centre and Wembley Stadium, down Harrow Road and onto Pitfield Avenue.
Rajesh said: “Along the way we will distribute Van Appeal flyers, protest against food poverty with banners and placards and make a shocking racket with drums and trumpets.
“If you can’t carry a heavy crate, you can carry a donation box. If you can’t drag a yellow bin of food, you can hold up a placard.
Or you can just walk in solidarity with us.”
To donate visit sufra-nwlondon.org.uk/donate
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