Lockdown Leader: Mini Food Bank Project

A local artist has created a series of beautiful miniature buildings modelled on real shops in Walthamstow that serve as food banks for the community.

We’ve all heard of exquisite little dolls houses that fetch fortunes in antique auctions. Here’s a concept that stands that notion on its head. In north-east London, a local 3D artist Sean Rodrigo has been crafting incredibly detailed little buildings – replicas of real-life Walthamstow shops – in plywood, and embellishing them with meticulous little touches such as curtains, flowers, a pub’s cat, and William Morris wallpaper (Morris being another local hero).

To date, the five landmark buildings, dotted throughout Walthamstow, include The Nag’s Head pub in Walthamstow village, Wood Street Indoor Market, and Manze’s world famous pie & mash shop.

But aside from being beautiful works of art, these miniature marvels have another, more pressing purpose: they double as food banks, to store tinned food donations for charity.

Inside the houses, which are funded by the public, are shelves for tins (which deserving members of the public can take), while QR codes provide links to more info. “One of the coolest things to be added are smart buttons,” says Sean. “The public can let us know when a box needs picking up by pressing a small Bluetooth button labelled ‘Press me when the food bank is full’.” Volunteers can then ferry the donations to a food bank run by the local charity PL84U Al-Suffa.

Said PL84U Al-Suffa founder and chair Saira Mir, “The mini food banks mean people can easily donate. You might have thought of donating to a food bank but don’t know where. It’s a nice outing for the kids to go for a walk and do something positive. I don’t think the novelty will wear off.”

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of people using food banks has rocketed. Sean came up with the idea of the little buildings after repairing a little Free Library to resemble a Victorian house, using his 3D printing technique.

“Even though they’re small, they’ve generated a huge amount of donations,” said Mir. “They’re so beautiful. Each time I see them I’m really excited!”

At time of writing, £1,595 has been raised towards a £2,000 GoFund Me goal. “The project is going well,” says Sean. “Seven boxes are being funded on GoFund Me, with the plan to push it to 10 boxes if we can achieve further funding.”

And Sean promises new boxes, including a mini-greengrocers, a Bengali curry house, and even a mini kebab shop, will be coming soon. Watch this space.

Sean’s food banks can be found at:
172 Winns Avenue- Manze Red
The Mall (opposite ASDA) - Manze Green
11 Teenyson Rd - Manze Blue
100 Maynard Rd - Nags Pink
107 Fyfield Rd - Wood St Market
Coming Soon - Blackhorse Workshop - Sambros Green
Coming soon - 182 Northcote Rd

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