Jewish Action for Mental Health celebrates a grant to support its vital work.
Jewish Action for Mental Health (JAMH) and six partner organisations have received a total of £93,900 to further progress their work and that of food support agencies, tailoring mental health provision and providing support to those in need. This will include replicating the successful model of working on mental health in the Jewish community in the Sikh and Muslim communities as well as strengthening ties with Councils and health services to deliver food to those in need. It will also establish cross-referral between food and mental health charities based in Greater Manchester.
The project was the brainchild of Jonny Wineberg, Trustee of JAMH, who is also an interfaith and community activist. The other partners in the bid are Greater Manchester Neshomo, L’Chaim Foodbank, Rainbow Surprise, Manchester Sikh Foundation (also known as Feed My City), Salford Community & Voluntary Services, and Salford Foodshare Network. There will be a clear pathway for referrals between the food provision and the mental health services, recognising the increased likelihood of poor mental health due to food poverty.
The project is also supported by Salford, Bury and Manchester Local Authorities and Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership. Government Faith Minister Paul Scully said: “We saw the instrumental role that faith organisations played in supporting vulnerable people during the pandemic. Working closely with local partners, councils and government, they supported communities where they need it most. This pilot scheme will build on that vital work, so that faith organisations and their partners can continue to support communities as they recover.”
The mental health provision will match those in need with the best level of one to one support – befriending, mentoring, counselling, or therapy. Timely responses to enquiries, triaging within days and matching within a fortnight, will deliver early intervention, preventing escalation of problems and building trust.
Emergency food parcels and hot meals will address immediate needs. Culturally and religiously appropriate workshops on cooking on a budget including menu planning, cooking from scratch and affordable food, will increase resilience and money management. The work will also evidence how partnership working with faith-led groups, in partnership with Local Authorities and Health Services, can best deliver food solutions and mental health support.
This government funding will enable anyone needing culturally and religiously appropriate support to access it and aims to reach thousands of people in the six months and be a launch pad for further development. The project starts this month and includes opportunities for volunteers to take on befriending, mentoring and support roles with ongoing training and supervision.
Anyone wishing to get involved should contact charity@jamh.org