National foodbank donation campaign benefits Sheffield

A Sheffield foodbank has received almost two tonnes of food thanks to a nationwide donation drive by retail giant Tesco.

The weekend of the 1st and 2nd of December saw Tesco stores across the UK partner with The Trussell Trust to ask customers to donate food items to local foodbanks. The “Help Feed People in Need” collection appeal received over 1,000 tonnes of food, the equivalent of more than two million meals. The Burngreave Foodbank , based at the Rock Christian Centre on Carlisle Street, Sheffield, received almost two tonnes of food from their local Tesco store. A stand staffed by Burngreave foodbank volunteers and Tesco staff was set up at the store entrance to alert customers to the appeal. Incoming shoppers were handed shopping lists of items that would be helpful to the foodbank’s supplies. The charity was asking for non-perishable items such as UHT milk, pasta, canned soup and tea bags. Customers donated varying amounts, from an extra can picked up during their shop, to whole trolleys full of food.

Due to the vast amounts donated, Tesco are helping the foodbank by storing surplus food in their storeroom. The Burngreave foodbank also received 940kg of food from Tesco back in August; they receive regular donations from the congregation, local schools and other churches. The Burngreave library also has a collection bucket. So far the Burngreave foodbank has fed over 200 people.

Foodbank Statistics

• A record breaking 100,000 Britons were fed by foodbanks between April and October 2012
• 13 million people live below the poverty line in the UK, 1 in every 5 people
• Less than 5% of foodbank clients are homeless, many are working families struggling to make ends meet
• The two main reasons that people were referred to foodbanks in 2011-12 were benefit delay and low income. Other reasons for referrals include delayed wages, domestic violence, sickness, unemployment, debt, benefit changes, refused crisis loans, homelessness and absence of free school meals during school holidays. All those who received emergency food were referred by frontline care professionals such as doctors, social workers and Citizens Advice Bureau
• Foodboxes contain three days of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable foods such as tinned fruit, vegetables, meat and fish as well as pasta, cereal, UHT milk, sauces, tea, long-life juice
• The Trussell Trust is currently launching three new foodbanks every week

Rebecca Shelley, Corporate Affairs Director at Tesco said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the incredible generosity of our customers throughout this appeal and to collect more than two million meals for people in need this Christmas is a huge achievement. This is just the first step in what we hope will be a long and successful partnership with the Trussell Trust who have put in an incredible amount of effort to make this appeal a success. I’d also like to thank all of our colleagues who showed fantastic team spirit and energy to make sure food was collected and distributed to those in need”.

Trussell Trust foodbanks are run in conjunction with local churches to help those in need in the community. They are run by volunteers and rely on donations from the public and local organisations. Customers are referred to the service by outside sources, such as a doctor or the Citizens Advice Bureau. They are given a voucher to redeem that will provide three days’ worth of emergency food supplies. Everything contained in the food box will be ingredients capable of making healthy meals. Whilst the customer waits for their food box to be prepared they are given a hot drink, sometimes a hot meal, and the chance to talk to volunteers.

Manger Andrew Birtwhistle got involved in the Burngreave foodbank when he and his wife moved from southwest to northeast Sheffield. They were interested in the economic divisions in the city and became members of the Rock Christian Centre in their new community. The church already had a food distribution scheme in place named ‘Helping Hands’, a small-scale operation that had been running for two years. The pastor had heard of the work that the Trussell Trust was doing and was keen to get his congregation involved. They signed up to become a Trust foodbank in December 2011 and opened on the 18th of June this year.

Whilst the foodbank is still developing and finding its place within the community they have been slowly increasing numbers of volunteers and those referred to them. Andrew says, “there is a need out there and I suspect there’s a lot of need we don’t see but the longer we’re here hopefully someone can refer them to us”. He finds that the most rewarding part of working at the foodbank is getting to know the people who are redeeming their vouchers. He says, “sometimes people want to talk, sometimes they don’t, we want them to go out thinking not just that ‘there’s one problem solved’ but that ‘someone cares about me’”.

The massive food donation from the Tesco appeal will keep Burngreave foodbank stocked for some time. However it is a project still in development. As more people are becoming aware of the facility, so more volunteers are needed. Andrew is pleased with the number of people wanting to get involved. In the future he is looking into the possibility of taking on people who are on community service orders to volunteer. This would be beneficial for both parties, providing the foodbank with volunteers whilst opening the eyes of the offenders to the poverty problems facing their community.

If you would like to find out more about The Trussell Trust, their work and your nearest foodbank please visit their website.

by Emma Riordan