Hidden hero Cathy wins weekend away

Cathy Davison has just been awarded a weekend away after amassing a whopping 1,008 volunteering hours at Hackney Foodbank over three years.

The award, from Room to Reward recognises “hidden heroes” who give up their time to make a difference to those who need it the most.  Cathy will be able to choose where she goes for her weekend break.

Cathy has devoted more than 1,000 hours to volunteering at Hackney Foodbank

Arianna Sommariva, Volunteer Manager at Hackney Foodbank, said: “Humble and inspiring, Cathy never tires of sharing just how fulfilling, rewarding, and genuinely joyful she finds volunteering at the food bank. She is always punctual, greets everyone with a warm smile and a kind word, and consistently goes above and beyond. Cathy is at the food bank almost every day, making sure that bags of sugar are carefully filled and ready to reach the many people we serve across the community.”

Cathy walks 40 minutes to get to the food bank each day. She started volunteering after taking voluntary redundancy during Covid and describes her experience as: “good for my mental health.”

She added: “I’ve made some lovely friends whilst working here, it has kept me busy and kept me sane! Even when I find work, I will keep volunteering. This award means such a lot – I’m hoping to take my daughter away with me.”

Hackney Foodbank has around 200 volunteers. Collectively, in 2025 they devoted more than 11,000 hours of volunteering. 

Arianna added: “Our volunteers are the beating heart of Hackney Foodbank.  They are the friendly faces greeting our visitors and delivering food to their doors, the capable hands preparing our food parcels and the big hearts responding to emails and helping us with admin.  Its wonderful Room to Reward has recognised one of our most devoted volunteers in this way.”