Making Life a Little Easier Our friendly volunteers are here to take the stress out of your weekly grocery shopping, making sure you have everything you need without the worry. Depending on your needs, a volunteer can take you to the shops by car and support you with your shopping in person, shop for you and deliver your groceries straight to your door, or help you explore safe and simple ways to use online shopping from the comfort of your home.
How to Use the Service To find out what works best for you, give us a call on 020 8979 9662. The service is always subject to volunteer availability, but we will do our best to help. Our office team will guide you through the arrangements, including how payment for your shopping will be handled, so that everything feels secure and straightforward.
Shopping Trips by Car A limited number of volunteers are able to offer car journeys, and we kindly ask for a £4 contribution towards the cost of each trip. Once at the store, you’ll need to do your shopping independently, though we may be able to match you with a volunteer who can provide a little extra help if requested in advance. If you use a walking aid, please let us know so we can make sure there’s space in the car for both your aid and your shopping.
If you use a wheelchair, you’ll need to bring a family member, friend, or care worker with you, as volunteers are unable to assist with wheelchairs and not all vehicles can accommodate them. To keep journeys manageable, we ask that you limit your shopping to no more than two bags per trip.
Shopping on Your Behalf If you would prefer, a volunteer can complete your shopping for you. Our office team will introduce you to your volunteer and agree on how payment will be arranged. Together, you and your volunteer will create your shopping list, either over the phone or in person, and they will do their best to meet your preferences. Essential dietary or allergy-related items will always be prioritised.
This service usually involves shopping at one supermarket, and while some volunteers may be able to visit your preferred stores, this depends on their availability. Your volunteer will always provide a receipt and may also be able to help put your shopping away when they deliver it, if agreed beforehand. Please let us know if you need any extra assistance so we can inform the volunteer in advance.
Support with Online Shopping We are also developing ways to help you shop online safely and with confidence. This could include a trusted volunteer or staff member placing orders for you, arranging for a volunteer to collect and deliver your “Click & Collect” orders from local supermarkets, or even matching you with a volunteer who can guide you step by step through the process. This one-to-one support can help you build the skills and confidence to shop online independently in the future.
Whatever option you choose, we’ll work with you to make sure the service fits your needs and helps make life that little bit easier.
