Polish Family Association
- Slawek Szczepanski, Co-ordinator
- Colliers Wood
- Established in 2007
- Support network for Polish and Eastern European communities

Story
About The Polish Family Association
We support Polish and Eastern European communities in Merton in difficult situations to become self-sufficient. We do this through programmes to improve mental health and wellbeing, educational programmes for families, guidance for the EU settlement scheme, as well as distributing weekly fresh food boxes. We also provide extensive interpreting and translation services for community services and advocate for our members when needed.
When did you first get help from us?
Since day one! We were one of the very first recipients of Dons Local Action Group food support and have remained a key partner since March 2020.
What was the situation like before we became involved?
The pandemic marked a turning point for the Polish Family Association, as we began to offer food support to our network for the first time. The need for food based assistance became apparent to us as the pandemic worsened, leaving people without employment and their usual income.
How do we help you?
Dons Local Action Group stepped in to help us distribute 3.5 tonnes of food in the first 4 months. They have been very reliable and consistently offer us food supplies every week.
How has this help impacted your work?
A year later and ¾ of this food we provide still comes from your donations. Dons Local Action Group’s assistance enabled us to meet the immediate needs of their network in the early days of the pandemic, and remains an integral part of the food support we still offer.


Dons Local Action Group’s approach to the pandemic has been fantastic, the way they coordinated and were able to organise the food chain distribution was outstanding. Over the last 12 months we have not missed a delivery, which means that we were in position to support the most disadvantaged families. The help and support has been amazing, thank you to all the team members and volunteers.