Stratford Foodbank is getting ready for its busiest time of the year. Volunteers are busy preparing for an expected, but unfortunate peak in demand in December; managing hugely generous harvest festival food donations from many schools, churches, businesses and community groups; and getting set to create over 300 community Christmas hampers for distribution in December.
Marion Homer Foodbank Manager said,
“The run up to Christmas is an extremely busy time of year for our charity. In the space of a few months we witness amazing generosity, in fact, it is very likely that we will receive over 60% of all our food donations in the last 3 months of the year. This poses interesting logistical challenges – but we have an amazing team of volunteers, who will store everything safely away for use later in the year. We are so grateful to everyone who remembers us, we simply couldn’t operate without food donations, and are indebted to SITEL who allow us to set aside our long-dated items in their warehouse.
“This December we will once again be undertaking our community hamper project. This project is only possible through the many volunteers and donors who contribute time and food to make it happen. In the Autumn we seek nominations from our referral agency partners for individuals and/or families they’d like to receive a Foodbank Christmas Hamper. Unlike our usual food parcels, our Christmas hampers don’t necessarily go to someone who’s in financial hardship. Instead, we ask our partners to suggest individuals and families for whom Christmas will be difficult, and for whom a gift of a foodbank hamper might make a difference. Our hampers are full of the usual foodbank items – e.g. packets, tins etc (nothing fresh) and gift items that we receive during the year, and we tailor our hampers according to family numbers and age range.
“This year the project has become so big we have had to take it off site. During the weekend of the 7th/8th December, and with grateful thanks to the generosity of Stratford Town Trust, we will take over the ground floor of Foundation House to collate our hampers. It’s going to be a very busy weekend and involves a rota of over 60 volunteer names who will be undertaking a variety of tasks to ensure three hundred hampers are ready for our referral agency partners to collect on Monday 9th December.”
The Foodbank will be holding a food drive at Tesco on the Birmingham Road in Stratford from Friday 22nd to Saturday 24th November where volunteers will be handing out lists of items that will be useful for the hamper project, and also for their usual foodbank distributions in the new year. Details on how to create and donate a reverse Advent Calendar can be seen here
Marion added,
“We are hugely grateful for all food donations. However, should you wish to give us seasonal items please ensure they are in our collection baskets, or bought to our warehouse by Wednesday 4th December. Items received after this date will be still be of enormous value but will be distributed after Christmas”
For more information on Christmas Giving follow the links below
Reverse Advent Calendar Suggestions
For information on Reverse Advent Calendar suggestions click here.
Most Wanted For Christmas (donate by 4th Dec)
For a full list of items that we are using in the run up to Christmas, including our Community Hamper work click here – remember seasonal items should be with us by Wed Dec 4th please.
Most Wanted Throughout December
For a list of items suitable for donations throughout December (i.e. this list will not include seasonal items and may be used after Christmas) please click here
Guide to Donating to the Foodbank
For a guide about how to donate to the Foodbank, including details of all our collection points and how to deliver to our warehouse click here
Notes to Editors
- Food Donations:
During the run up to Christmas the following donations would be welcome.
Please note: All festive items should be with us, or in a collection basket, by Wednesday December 4th
- Tinned Ham
- Mince pies, Yule logs, Small Christmas cakes,
- Small Christmas puddings, Tinned Custard
- Christmas crackers
- Christmas sweets
- Biscuit selection boxes
- Tinned veg
- Tinned potatoes
- Tinned soup
- Tinned vegetarian meals
- Savoury Christmas treats/snacks
- Coffee, tea, hot chocolate
- Tinned fish
- Tinned meat meals
- Tinned tomatoes
- Angel Delight
- Rice Pudding
- Tinned Fruit,
- Jam, Peanut butter
- Shampoo, shower gel, razors, shaving foam deodorant, loo roll
- Washing up liquid, laundry powder/liquid
- Pet food
- About Stratford upon Avon Foodbank:
- Since starting in Jan 2013, Stratford’s Foodbank has distributed more than 12,000 food parcels, 28% of which went to children.
- In 2017, the Foodbank distributed 2,232 food parcels up 62% year on year, the increase may have been due to the introduction of universal credit in the Stratford area
- In 2018 the Foodbank distributed 2,548 parcels, up 14% year on year
- In 2019 YTD to September over 2,276 parcels have been distributed
- In 2019 an average 252 parcels a month have been distributed compared to the 2018 monthly average of 212
- Most clients come three times or less to the Foodbank
- Repeat Visits SUA Foodbank over last 6 month
- 86% of clients came three times or less.
- 14% came more than three times
- 7% came six times or more.
- Food parcels are designed for short-term emergency use, each parcel provides 3 days’ worth of nutritionally balanced tinned and packet food
- Distribution sessions happen 4 times a week at the Foodbank’s cabin on Tesco’s carpark; Monday 5 -6.30pm, Tuesday 12 – 2pm, Thursday 5-6.30pm, Friday 12 -2pm
- The Foodbank operates with one paid manager and over 120 active volunteers
- Food donations can be left at collection points across the town and local area including: Tesco, Morrison’s, Waitrose, Coop on Trinity Meade, Budgens at Bidford, Sainsbury’s local on Bridge Street, Stratford Leisure Centre, and many churches including a public collection box at Holy Trinity Church.
- The Foodbank is part funded by Stratford Town Trust
- Find out more at https://stratforduponavon.foodbank.org.uk/
- Repeat Visits SUA Foodbank over last 6 month
For more information contact: Foodbank Manger Marion Homer [email protected] 07736 611323
