Homeless charity launches Covid food aid project in Leicester

A homeless charity in Leicester has launched a project aiming to deliver “fresh hot meals to the doors of people in genuine need of this service”.

Help The Homeless (HTH) is looking to raise £5000 for its Covid Community Care initiative to help the most vulnerable including the elderly and families struggling in self isolation.

With £350 already donated through fundraising website JustGiving, the charity’s founder Arif Voraji appealed: “Help us to help those in need during their hour of need because together we can and will make a difference!”

The initiative is providing two options: hot meals delivered to the door three times a week or vital care packages that include food and other essentials delivered to the most needy.

Anyone seeking help has been asked to call 0116 403 0141 where a volunteer member of the charity will ask some specific questions to provide the best response possible.

“The recipients will consist of OAPs, struggling families and individuals with children or people struggling to make ends meet due to circumstance or loss of job, etc,” Arif clarified.

Having launched HTH in 2014, the charity offers what it calls “a 360-degree strategy for all rough sleepers in our city and then beyond”.

Over the past two weeks, HTH revealed that with the help of both Tesco Hamilton’s “generous donation of groceries to put into the food parcels” and Muslim charity LIA Relief Trust, over £7500 worth of food has already been sent to the needy.

HTH is also involved in running the weekly ‘One Love’ event which has fed thousands of people – both homeless and those struggling to make ends meet – every Wednesday at 7pm in Leicester market since 2017.

Anyone looking to donate to the Covid Community Care project can do so via the link: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/covidcommunitycare.