Vera Ibrahim loves her community in Canning Town and has found herself an ideal job – working as Morrisons Community Champion in the local store.

Her passion for community work prompted her to change jobs. She said: “this is my community.” Vera has lived in Canning town since 2009 and only has a short walk to get to work.

The pandemic has meant that the focus of her role over the last few years has been supporting people who have experienced hardship because of falling incomes. In the lobby of the store, there are packs of essential items which can be bought by customers and then donated to local food banks.

Vera ensures that the cost of the packs is affordable for every budget: £1 – £5. She has found that despite people’s personal circumstances they still want to help.

There is a growth in the number of food banks locally. They contact Vera who can arrange for the donations to be collected, preferably, or delivered.

The store has a community space which even prior to the pandemic was used by children as a study area. This has been particularly helpful where children are sharing a bedroom with siblings and are not able to study uninterrupted.

There are plans to open it up to the community again now that Covid-19 is less of a threat. For instance, offering afternoon tea for older people in the community, and A breakfast club for school children.

This would be staffed by Vera and members of the staff team who number 300. She says staff are always asking how they can help with the various initiatives spearheaded by Vera. Those who are able donate one hour a week to support the different projects.

To use the space, contact Vera on: champions.canningtown@morrisonsplc.co.uk

Morrisons’ latest charity Partner is Together for Short Lives based in Richard House in Beckton. The charity supports families caring for a seriously ill child and children’s hospices.

Pots and buckets are placed at the checkouts for people who wish to donate. In addition, Vera organises fundraising activities. For example, hamper sales, or donations are made to the charity when you purchase specific food items between 15February to 6 March. The charity can also send their own volunteers to the store to do a bucket collection.

The Morrisons Foundation has a “commitment to fundraising for good causes through our Community Champions, and our efforts to reduce waste while helping those in need with unsold food donations.” The Foundation has a strong commitment to giving back to the community as is evidenced by the £18 million raised for the Young Lives VS Cancer charity.

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