50 BUSINESSES, 30 voluntary organisations and over 1,000 volunteers.

This is the army of Bradfordians helping to prepare and deliver food and support packages to those in need as part of the Bradford COVID-19 community response.

Bradford Foundation Trust is bringing together takeaways, restaurants, mental health experts and charities to make sure it is ready to support anyone struggling with money, asylum seekers and refugees, homeless shelters and hospitals.

In preparation for the peak and rise in self-isolating families, the plan has been created in collaboration with Bradford Council, Aziz Catering, MyLahore restaurants, The Faith Centre, Inn Churches, Cha Cha Chai, Bradford4Better, Adams Fast Food Supplies, Save The Mother's Trust, Kana Peena, Lubna Foods, In Touch Foundation and Council for Mosques, Kashmir Crown Bakery,  Regal Foods Bradford and EnKahnz.

The Broadway and the Sedbergh Centre are just two of the many places which will become a packaging point for supplies while drop-off points for donations are also set to open up.

In just seven days, the team has delivered 230 food parcels to destitute asylum seeker or refugee families who have just £5 per person a day for food.

If these families are newly appointed British citizens, they must wait six weeks for benefits leaving some reliant on savings or at risk of becoming homeless.

Shadim Hussain, a board member at Bradford Foundation Trust, told the Telegraph & Argus: "They've always needed help. They just need more help.

"This is huge. It's like a military exercise.

"The lockdown and isolation makes complete sense but as we're forcing more people to stay at home and less people are able to support people they might already support, all of that means more and more people will need support."

The food packages will also make sure the cupboard essentials are suitable for the people in need such as rice and lentils for Asian families.

So far 670 hot meals have been sent to refugees, asylum seekers and the homeless as well as 1,200 water bottles to Bradford NHS hospitals.

MyLahore director Ishfaq Farooq is just one of those cooking up the hot meals and shared how a simple hot meal can make a difference.

He is reaching not only emergency services but the elderly and low income families who cannot get out to the shop and those unable to afford gas bills due to work changes.

Looking at the community spirit he sees across Bradford district, the director said: "It's about saving lives.

"We're bringing everybody together to contribute.

"The Bradford spirit and hospitality, it's just in that Bradford blood."

Where can I get help?

If you are in need of support please call the Bradford Council support line on 01274 431000.

If you have any urgent issues that you need the Faith Centre to help with please call the Faith Centre emergency line on 01274 973805 or 07955 574482.

I am a business and would like to help - how can I get involved?

If you are a business who would like to get involved, email info@bradfordft.org