AHFO during a tough 2020-21

Writing this in April 2021, a full year since our lives completely changed due to coronavirus brings up many different emotions. One of them is pride at how our community came together to help the most vulnerable and bring back a spirit we haven't seen for many years.  The need for grassroots organisations like ourselves and many more across Liverpool has been there for all to see over the past 12 months.  As soon as the first lockdown happened in March 2020 we had to quickly adapt our services and focus on the main needs our community faced, many families and elderly residents struggled with isolation and accessing basic essentials.  We decided this was the main area to firstly focus on and early on after receiving funding and kind donations we were able to purchase £35,000 worth of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat packs, essentials and activity packs for the kids.  It was really important to us we purchased everything from local businesses as they would find it hard also.

For many months until that funding ran out we helped over 4000 people right across the city and many local businesses, our kind volunteers were amazing each week rallying around to make sure no one was left behind. This was mirrored by all the other superb grassroots organisations who worked their socks of each day to help so many people.

It all proves the power of unity and how it can work, it was community at its best and leading the way.

We have also built upon our online group sessions as you can find in our events diary, skilled professionals giving their time to help ease physical and mental health problems.  We have had yoga classes, mindfulness, meditation, cooking healthy on tight budgets, housing advice, financial advice, dance and so much more going weekly.  As of April 2021 we are looking forward to have our football coaching, boxing and fitness groups back up and running soon. 

It really is so important that every single one of us does our little bit to make our communities stronger, especially in these times. Nobody is coming to wave a magic wand for us, we really have to take responsibility for helping each other regardless of differences! It's a real test for humanity to bring it's best self forward and get through this together!

TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG