When it became clear that the pandemic would consign the vulnerable to their homes, the Dons Local Action Group swung straight into action.
Originally created by three members of the AFC Wimbledon fan group, the organisation has quickly grown with the help of Old Rutlishians, expanding not only throughout the borough of Merton, but also to Wandsworth and Kingston. They supplied nearly 1,000 food parcels to the elderly, disabled and vulnerable last weekend. The logistics or arranging volunteers to man the foodbanks is a hard enough, but the coordination with local charities, the police and refuges ensures that everything the public donates goes to the neediest in society.
Doing a shift at one of their foodbanks outside of the Sava Centre opened my eyes to the generosity of strangers even in these economically tough and uncertain times. One lady at another foodbank donated a whole trolley of food explaining that it was the anniversary of her dad’s death and that she had committed herself to making others happy on the anniversary.
The foodbanks are operated by two people, one accepts donations, whilst the other one informs shoppers of what food items are needed. On my first shift I was simply overwhelmed by the volume of food people were willing to donate and felt a sense of pride in the kindness of our local community. Tim, a volunteer at the Sava centre says that he is keen to “help the community through these tough times”.
They say necessity is the mother of invention and nowhere is that truer than in the formation of the Dons Local Action Group. Within days of setting up, they had tens of volunteers and were able to cover the borough. Old Ruts club and the bar at the football club has been transformed into sorting centres filled with public donations. Their rapid growth is testament to the spirit of our community as we suffer through these tough days.
It is also a reminder that there are always those less well off than ourselves. Although we may be wallowing in our own self-pity at not being able to see friends and family, at least you have friends and family that you can catch up with digitally, at least you know when you will get your next square meal, at least you have a garden to play around in during this glorious weather.
Not only this, but the Dons Local Action Group have begun to branch out creating the 'Keep Kids Connected' scheme, which aims to provide laptops for children from disadvantaged background to make sure they don’t fall behind.
This community movement now has over 400 volunteers, but are still keen to recruit more as they open new foodbanks. With all this time on your hands, why not spend some time helping your local community?
By Alec Hodgson
