UNIVERSITY of West London (UWL) students are continuing to help those in need this winter.

Celebrating one of its long running partnerships and helping provide vital support in the run up to Christmas, volunteers from UWL are helping those in need across Hounslow.

After almost two years working with Hounslow FoodBox to help the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, UWL student volunteers are continuing to offer their time to sort donations and help prepare food parcels.

The charity provides food and essential supplies to people in need across the community, and this year has experienced higher demand than ever, with volunteers working flat out to deliver emergency food for people facing hardship – even having to take on new premises to meet additional needs.

This comes less than a month after the announcement that the University will be supporting Ealing Foodbank this winter.

Mariana Vieira da Rocha, Volunteer Manager at UWL, said: "The run-up to Christmas always sees a huge increase not just in the demand for FoodBox services, but also in the generosity of the general public and we are so pleased that our volunteers can keep lending vital support at this time.

"It is so inspiring to see students rallying round to unload and sort through vans and car boots full of food destined for local people in need.

"It is instantly apparent how crucial the work the Hounslow team does and we are only glad to be able to help offer an extra pair of hands when we can during this pandemic."

Over the past two years, more than 30 UWL students have offered upwards of 100 hours of volunteering time to the FoodBox in Hounslow.

The charity is run entirely by volunteers, from people sorting through deliveries each day to the delivery drivers – and the service is entirely dependent on donations from the public and local businesses to maintain their service.