Government staff and councils across London are now involved in the relief effort to help the bereaved and support communities displaced by the Grenfell Tower fire in the early hours of last Wednesday morning.
But in the days following the disaster, much of the support and help was provided by charities and volunteers as the local authority in Kensington and Chelsea failed to coordinate operations.
Caritas Westminster, CSAN and the Catholic Children’s Society set up an emergency relief fund in direct response to calls from individuals wanting to help.
A spokeswoman for the diocese of Westminster said that “parishes were calling in too, so many set up a second collection for victims on Sunday [18 June]”. She said some of the money has been distributed to local schools to offer counselling to children affected by the fire. The fund will remain open to cover ongoing assistance.
Zia Malik, head of community fundraising at Islamic Relief, said the public’s relief response so far had been “very humbling”.
The charity made £10,000 available from its Global Emergency fund immediately and set up a specific LaunchGood crowdfunding page. Mr Malik said victims and survivors all need support, be it for funeral costs, bringing family members to the UK, or psychological support.”
World Jewish Relief is urging the public to make sure they donate to a registered charity, highlighting the fact that many are also accepting cash donations. The charity said that while “the situation is changing rapidly”, the residents of Grenfell Tower “will need care and support for many weeks and months ahead”.
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