Food For All Appeal

We are asking everyone in Croydon to unite with Legacy and help provide food for children.

You can also magnify the impact of your gift as it will be DOUBLED at no extra cost to you!

Today in Croydon hundreds of families are facing a stark reality. The unprecedented, spiralling cost of living crisis, rising levels of poverty, increased food costs, benefits reduction and higher fuel charges are causing many to struggle to simply provide nutritious food for their family especially during the school holidays – and it’s the poorest families that are often being impacted the hardest.

At Legacy, our belief is simple in that no child should ever go hungry or miss a meal, no matter what their circumstances are. And this is where you can help.

Legacy Youth Zone was founded in 2019 and is one of the leading charities dedicated to supporting the children of Croydon. We offer a multi-purpose facility where young people aged 8-19 can discover their full potential.

At Legacy, they can take part in a variety of activities that suit their needs and passion. With over 20 activities on offer, 7 days a week, including rock wall climbing, music creation, art, football, media and boxing, we support young people in finding out what they want to pursue in life. Our Youth Workers are on hand to empower and build confidence, inspiring young people to live healthier and more positive lives.

As part of this, we operate our Food For All programme where not only can the children have a hot meal in a safe, welcoming environment, but they can also learn about cooking in our Training Kitchen.

In 2023, we gave out thousands of hot meals, with many going to children who are receiving free school meals. Our catering team prepare a delicious menu, often influenced by the young children attending Legacy and our multicultural community.

Heavily subsidised by Legacy, these hot, nutritious meal cost just £1 for each child. But we are also able to provide free meals to those families who are struggling. But we wished we could do more. However, due to funding restrictions, this simply isn’t possible.

When children are hungry it can dramatically affect their behaviour and both their physical and mental health. Our aim is simple. We want to ensure that more children coming to Legacy can get a free meal. Not only will this help the child, but also the family, both financially and emotionally, as the parents will know that their child has received a hearty, nutritious meal.

At Legacy, we also provide young people with the opportunity to learn how to cook in our Training Kitchen. In this empowering environment, children can learn how to cook nutritious meals, how to shop on a budget and make their food go further, as well as developing key kitchen and hygiene skills. Children who attend our Training Kitchen can also take what they’ve learnt back home to their family.

Finally, thanks to our partnership with several food re-distribution organisations, we are able to offer a small number of free food parcels to families.

But this year, with your generosity, you can help us make an even bigger difference!

Our aim is to raise £50,000 to ensure that we can maintain this programme but to also expand to meet the growing demand. Every donation we receive will make a difference. But thanks to one of our very generous supporters, if you donate to our appeal, your gift will be DOUBLED at no extra cost to you meaning we could raise £100,000!

At Legacy, we are working hard to support our young people, but could not do this without the generosity of those who share our vision. By joining with us, we can create positive change and help make a lasting impact.

Food For All Appeal

This is where you can help:

Donate