Jasmin Bakhre is the founder and CEO of Women with Wings Group’ and the business owner of ‘Jasmin’s Cakes’.She has over ten years of experience working with people in her community in Little Hulton, Manchester. Jasmin aims to empower, motivate and support women in improving their lives; and, subsequently, to improve their families lives. Here she explains her decision to set up the Diaspora Food Parcel Project in Little Hulton and the surrounding areas.
Jasmin Bakhre; a woman with a vision for change.
‘I work with women from many different backgrounds of life; and as a result, I began to see the effect that COVID was having on their lives and subsequently, on their families lives. So, Women with Wings CIC and I decided to step in, and we set up the ‘Diaspora Food Parcel Project’. Our aim was simple; we wanted to keep our families safe and together and prevent them from becoming ‘vulnerable’. The project was well-received, and as a result, we now deliver around 55 to 65 parcels a week. We have locations based in Eccles, Bolton, Swinton, Salford, Manchester, Openshaw, and Little Hulton, where you can collect the Diaspora Food Parcels every Friday. Our times are 10.00 am to 12.00 pm; however, we can extend those times for families struggling to get to us who have children.
Food Parcels are boxes, not bags; because women have pride.
Jasmin is passionate about women’s welfare, and she has integrated all the Food Parcels to be in Boxes rather than carrier bags which are usually associated with Food Banks. Jasmin needs to do this. She recognises that women have pride, and they may feel ashamed about having to use Food Banks; However, no-one will know that a box is a food parcel. As she says, ‘Everyone has packages they collect these days; no-one would look twice with a woman carrying a box!’
‘The stock for the Diaspora Food Parcel Project comes from donations from Fareshare and local businesses in the community. Sadly, I pay for most of the food due to the increase of users for the service; consequently, this increased demand, together with initial funding now used, means we are running out of funds’. However, we fully intend to keep on growing because we know there is a need, and we will work tirelessly to get food to people in our community.
‘The kindness of our local community supports the project’.
‘ I have received support from six local businesses who let me use their shops free of charge, and their kindness means that people don’t have to travel miles to collect food parcels. The kindness and support showed to ‘Women with Wings CIC’ continue; therefore, we pledge to provide emergency food parcels for as long as possible. We are a charity, and we rely on donations and fundraising to pay for any extra food that families with children need. Our usual fundraising activities have stopped due to Coronavirus; therefore, we are seeking donations. We have no choice but to ask for assistance; if any person or organisation could offer us support to keep this project going, please do get in touch.
Women with Wings CIC; empowering women to create change.
‘We aim to empower women and inspire them to build confidence and raise self-esteem, which ultimately will reduce the feelings of isolation for women in the community. We deliver our support by employment, self-employment, or education, and we aim to do this through the weekly meetings, workshop training, therapy sessions and monthly networking events. Sadly, COVID came, and we saw the effects that it brought with it. We stepped in and started the ‘Diaspora Food Parcel Project’ to support families who were becoming vulnerable in our community…Consequently, the project has gone from strength to strength.’
Jasmin Bakhre has been a part of many different activities in her community, including the ‘Treasure of Spirit of Little Hulton’, and she is a member of the Local’ board. She is a Salford Community Voice member,’ the ‘Big Local Employment’ and a member of the Training Task Group and Finance Funding Committee’.
Jasmin has been nominated and won several local awards; they include “The Steve Sheridan Award’. ‘Women with Wings CIC‘ has successfully partnered with ‘Forever Manchester‘ and ‘Salford CVS’ groups. Jasmin’s dedication to improving women’s lives means that she is regarded by many as a highly respected woman in her community.
‘Once you educate women, you educate the World’.
‘Women are the core of the family. The group aims to support women to improve their lives, which ultimately leads to improving the whole family’s lives. We believe the once you educate a woman, you educate the WORLD’.
Jasmin Bakhre
Jasmin and I were attending the ‘Flourish Resilient Leaders Programme‘, which we both represent with our businesses. The programme’s theme is for women who have either Community enterprises, CIC’s, or companies with a ‘Charitable Purpose’ to connect. I discovered the purpose of Women with Wings CIC’ and the ‘Diaspora Food Parcel Project’, and the pursuit of these projects touched my heart.
Verve has worked together with ‘Salford Food Parcels’ and other charities to either fundraise, advertise or create campaigns. One campaign generated a lot of support, especially from women in her community; ‘The Knitting Baby Clothes Appeals’ campaign. This campaign has generated a tremendous response, and subsequently, we are still are receiving a vast quantity of knitted gifts for babies to support vulnerable families and their babies.
The community of ladies; working together felt beautiful.
I asked Jasmin if she needed any new baby clothes and blankets donated to us by the ‘Ladies who knit? On top of this, people had kindly gifted us a considerable amount of ‘nearly new’ children’s clothes and toys. Most of these were from families in her local community and were for older children too. Could she find a use for them, and more importantly, could they go to the families that ‘local people’ had intended them? Jasmin was delighted to accept our offer, and we were happy to share them with her.
I knew that many of the ‘Ladies who knit’ and donated the clothes were very local. More importantly, I knew these women were passionate about supporting local women and families. Consequently, I had given my word to them that this would happen. The kindness of a community of women supporting each other was turning full circle, and it felt beautiful.
Verve has now donated a substantial amount of clothing, knitted baby clothes, blankets and toys to ‘Women with Wings CIC’ and other local charities. These items are now with local families, children and their babies that needed them; more importantly, they are with the people with whom the local people who donated intended them to be!
Can you help?
To find out more about Women with Wings CIC, you can contact Jasmin on mobile 07466380504 or website https://womenwithwingsgroup.org/.
Alternatively, call into the office at Women with Wings Business Centre, 26 Hulton District Centre, Little Hulton, M38 0FQ, or fill in the form below with a message, and we will get straight back to you. If you would like to donate or knit for us or tell us how you could support us, please contact us.
Together, we can all make a difference in the lives of children and their families in our communities.
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