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Increase in demand means Foodbank needs new home

5th June 2019

During the first four months of 2019 Stratford upon Avon Foodbank distributed 1,190 emergency food parcels to local people in need. That’s an average of 297 parcels month, 99 of which went to children, and represents a 63% year on year increase.

These shocking figures from the Foodbank feed into a larger national picture, where the Trussell Trust reports record increases in food bank use right across the UK. Stratford Foodbank is backing the Trust’s demands to ensure the country’s benefit system protects people from poverty. The local charity believes the rise in demand is due to continued issues with benefit payments, problems with Universal Credit – such as the five-week wait, insecure work and a reductions in local government support. The Foodbank has needed to provide emergency food and support to people who are waiting at least five-weeks for a first Universal Credit payment, or receiving payments that don’t cover the cost of essentials.

Marion Homer, Manager of Stratford’s Foodbank said:

“No one in Stratford upon Avon should need a food bank’s help. We want to see an end to local people needing emergency food at all. It doesn’t have to be this way – our benefits system is supposed to protect us all from being swept into poverty. Universal Credit should be part of that solution, but the five week wait is leaving many without enough money to cover the basics. This isn’t right. It shames us all when a society like ours, believing itself to be built on compassion and justice, allows foodbank volunteers to pick up the pieces of a broken system.”

Marion goes onto explain what this continued demand means for the charity and the big decisions it now faces.

“We are so grateful to Tesco who have allowed us to pitch up in their carpark to deliver this essential service to the town, and to SITEL who allow us to store food in their warehouse. However, from our inception we have been on the back foot. No one expected, when the Foodbank launched in 2013, that 6 years later we would be  feeding just shy of 300 people a month – we are a long way from ‘going out of business’. Whilst we don’t accept that it’s right our volunteers should be plugging this gap in social welfare; we will continue to support those in crisis whilst highlighting how wrong it is that we need to do this work in the first place.”

“Now is the time for the Foodbank to get off the back foot and, reluctantly, to plan for the future. This means finding facilities where users of the Foodbank can feel safe and talk in confidence, where stock can be efficiently sorted and stored, and our volunteers have an environment that is conducive to creating a secure working environment. So this summer we are launching a fundraising campaign that we hope will help us secure a new building. Our immediate target is to raise £35,000 to cover the cost of a potential year’s rental for a yet to be located new premises”.

Stratford residents are being offered the chance to support the Foodbank in this new initiative by attending a ‘kick off’ fundraising meeting to be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Arden Street, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6QQ  on Tuesday 11th June at 6.45pm.

Another key event for the foodbank is the summer food drive to be held at Tesco’s on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th June. The summer food drive is very important to the charity as it prompts donations at a time when they can dip and prepares stocks for the summer months where some families struggle because of the lack of school dinner provision.

Marion concludes,

“Until we reach a future where food banks are no longer needed, we’ll continue to provide vital support when it matters most. We’re dedicated to ensuring that the people in our community without enough money for food are able to access emergency support. Our vital work has only been possible in the last year because of the incredible generosity shown by local people in donating food, time and funds.”

To watch a video about our service click here

To donate on line click here

To see our shopping list of most wanted items click here

‘To see the foodbank’s new premises brief click  here

About Stratford upon Avon Foodbank:

  • Since starting in Jan 2013, Stratford’s foodbank has distributed 11,237 food parcels, 26% of which were for children
  • Most clients visit the foodbank a maximum of 2 times.
  • Food parcels are designed for short-term emergency use, each parcel provides 3 days’ worth of nutritionally balanced tinned and packet food
  • 2013 an average of 86 parcels were distributed a month
  • 2014 an average of 112 parcels were distributed a month
  • 2015 an average of 111 parcels were distributed a month
  • 2016 an average of 115 parcels were distributed a month
  • 2017 an average of 180 parcels were distributed a month (57% growth due to Universal Credit roll out?)
  • 2018 an average of 201 parcels were distributed a month (11% growth )
  • 2019 YTD an average of 298 parcels were distributed a month (63% growth)

For more information please refer to the foodbank website https://stratforduponavon.foodbank.org.uk or email [email protected]

For more information contact

Foodbank Manager Marion Homer email [email protected], or call 07736 611323

 

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