Stop Press – over 800kgs of food was donated by our supporters from their shopping at Waitrose on 4th April
Newsletter April 2014
Today there will be people across the UK struggling to feed themselves and their families. Illness, benefit delay, redundancy, debt, family breakdown and domestic violence are some of the reasons why people go hungry.
Could it happen in Cobham? About a year ago a few people started researching this, by talking to social services, CAB, and other local services, and found that there was hunger in and around Cobham. The opening of a food bank was proposed. With help from the national Trussell Trust, and from a food bank in Epsom that was already up and running, as well as from Churches Together and other local organisations, we were ready to appeal for help and support from the community at large. This was done in September 2013, at Cobham Heritage Day. More than 50 individual volunteers signed up on that day, and there were generous donations to the cause.
Cobham Area Foodbank was set up as an independent charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. St Andrew’s Church, Cobham provided an office base and the initial finance for registering with the Trussell Trust; Cobham Methodist Church offered accommodation for a Distribution Centre; warehouse space was rented; Sainsbury’s and Waitrose fitted out the distribution centre and warehouse respectively; Cargill plc financed the leasing of a van; food was donated by churches, schools and commercial organisations; and on 13th December 2013, Cobham Area Foodbank was officially opened by Dominic Raab MP.
Progress Report: 13th December 2013 to 12th March 2014
After the opening on 13th December 2013, the foodbank started slowly, with just one or two clients in each of the first few weeks, before building up to the present level where the number of voucher-holders varies between 5 and 9 per week. It needs to be remembered that this is the number of families needing to ask for food each week.
Even with the slow start 54 vouchers have so far (12th March 2014) been redeemed, providing food for 83 adults and 50 children.
There was a good stock of food at the start, and in January food coming in just about matched food going out, at something over 700 kg. For February, however, stock out exceeded stock in by 170 kg, so we need people to continue giving.
Apparently some people have heard a rumour that we had so much food and so few clients that we were giving large amounts to other food banks. What happened was that a neighbouring food bank was offered a donation of food and they didn’t have room in their store, so they passed it on to us. It was much more than we could handle at that time, so through the Trussell Trust Network we looked for a food bank that did need it, and because we have a van we were able to take it to a needy food bank in the North Midlands. Small quantities of food near “Use-By” or “Best Before” dates have gone to PitStop in Leatherhead and Oasis Children’s Charity in Cobham, but no food donated directly to us has gone out of the area.
At present we have about two months’ stock in the warehouse. With fluctuating demand it would not be good to have less, particularly since that is in terms of total weight, so there is a shortage of some items, a surplus of others.
Thanks
1. For financial and other material support
St Andrew’s Church, Cobham paid the initial fee for us to affiliate to the Trussell Trust.
A very generous donation from Cargill enabled us to lease a Mercedes Sprinter; and two private donors paid for it to be polyurethane-wrapped in Foodbank colours.
The Community Foundation for Surrey (CFS) made a substantial grant from funds given to them by the Bishop of Guildford’s Foundation, Central Surrey Health and Run4Good, which enabled us, among other things, to rent warehouse space at Brook Willow Farm. CFS has offered us a further substantial grant from funds given to them by Fashion4Good, which we expect shortly to receive.
There have been generous donations, from Elmbridge Multifaith Forum and Cobham Combined Charities, from the local churches and from a number of private individuals, towards our set-up and running costs.
Sainsbury’s fitted out the Methodist Church hall and store-room for use as the distribution centre: Waitrose provided and fitted shelving for the warehouse, and donated heavy-duty plastic crates for use in transport and storage of food.
2. Donations of food
The Foodbank van picks up donations of food from all the Cobham churches at the beginning of each week. Food has come from:
➢ Cobham Community Church
➢ Cobham Methodist church
➢ Cobham United Reformed Church
➢ Church of the Sacred Heart
➢ St Andrew’s, Cobham
➢ St Andrew’s, Oxshott
➢ St Mary’s, Stoke D’Abernon
➢ Free Presbyterian Church
➢ The Great Commission Ministry
➢ St Martin’s, East Horsley
➢ Effingham Methodist Church
There have also been food donations from the following schools:
➢ ACS Cobham International School
➢ Feltonfleet School
➢ Notre Dame school
➢ Parkside Junior School
➢ St Matthew’s School
The following commercial organisations and charities have made generous donations of food:
➢ Cargill
➢ Sainsbury’s
➢ Waitrose
➢ Farrants
➢ Cameron
➢ Glenlyn Surgery
➢ Besom
➢ One-Stop, Ripley
There have been a small number of individual food donations.
3. Gifts of time and skills as volunteers
There are more than 130 volunteers signed up, allocated to one (or more) of the three areas: Distribution Centre, Warehouse, Transport.
Distribution Centre volunteers carry out a variety of tasks: welcoming those who come with vouchers; checking their details and needs; filling bags from the store; making tea and coffee and talking to those who come. Also, for those who want this, saying a prayer with them.
Volunteers at the warehouse receive the food collected from donors; weigh it, shelve it and record it. They also make up the crates of food to be taken to the Distribution Centre.
Transport volunteers (drivers and drivers’ mates) collect food weekly from the donors and take it to the warehouse. Then they take the food that is needed from the warehouse to the distribution centre.
4. Prayer support for the Foodbank.
We thank all the churches and individuals who have, from the start, been supporting the Foodbank in their prayers. This is greatly valued, and a continuing need.
5. Voucher Issuers
The following organisations and individuals give their time and care in assessing applications and issuing food vouchers to needy people:
Jobcentres(Weybridge and Epsom); Citizens’ Advice Bureau, Esher; Cobham Children’s Centre; The Cobham Centre; Cobham Community Church; Elmbridge Borough Council (Claim Support); Oasis Children’s Charity; Paragon Community Housing Group; Parashoot; Pitstop; Revd Godfrey Hilliard; Revd Canon Jeremy Cresswell; Revd Kim Plumpton; Revd Robert Jenkins; St Andrew’s C of E Primary School.
Looking forward
The demand clearly shows that there is need for the Foodbank, “even in wealthy Cobham”. Weekly collection of food, logging it in to the warehouse, restocking the distribution centre, giving it out to voucher-holders – this has become part of the weekly routine for many people, and will continue until economic circumstances change so that it is no longer needed.
It will continue to need the generous support of churches, schools, businesses and individuals.
Volunteers are needed for the following jobs:
➢ Fundraising (relations with individual donors and organisation of fundraising events)
➢ Stocktaking (a once-a-year event)
➢ Supermarket collections
➢ Van driving and drivers’ mates
Further information may be obtained from Hugh Bryant, Cobham Area Foodbank manager.
Phone 01932-450282
Email [email protected]
Twitter @CobhamFoodbank
