Thanks to generous donations from businesses and individuals, Hackney Giving was able to make four grants this winter to help residents to deal with the increased cost of living.

Funding from Hackney Giving contributed to the cost of Shepherdfold Ministry’s after school club for children and young people, increased provision at Hackney Cypriot Association’s lunch club for older residents, funded Ozer Umagen to buy food for families who are struggling and went towards sessions about cooking on a budget at Hackney Young People’s University.

Because of this funding, Hackney Cypriot Association has been able to open its doors an additional day per week, so that people can get a hot meal on a Friday as well as Tuesday-Thursday. Cemile Goksan, Manager, said,

“We are seeing new faces at the centre. Our members are bringing their neighbours, friends and relatives. We know that service users are happy to be at the centre because they are asking when are we going to open on Mondays as well?”

The team at Ozer Umagen also told us the difference their grant is making:

“This project has made a huge positive impact on both beneficiaries of the packages and our team of volunteers. We have thankfully succeeded in reducing the impact of the cost of living crisis on beneficiaries, providing them with food security, and allowing them to use their tight budget to cover other essentials. Beneficiaries have reported feeling supported and cared for by the community. Our team of learning-disabled volunteers have thrived. They have made friends with one another, are picking up amazing skills such as communication skills and working as a team. We are very grateful to Hackney Giving for enabling us to make such a powerful difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our community.”

In addition to these four grants, Hackney Giving has worked with Hackney Council to distribute a further £240,000 to projects to mitigate the increased cost of living.