Telford Foodbank makes a difference
The work of Telford Crisis Network which operates Telford Foodbank is being highlighted as part of Co-operative Fortnight.
Back in April the newly formed partnership, consisting of a number of local public, private, voluntary and community organisations opened a foodbank in Telford and Wrekin to help those in desperate need of food and other essential items.
Redundancy, homelessness, illness, benefit delay, domestic violence, debt, family breakdown and the rising cost of fuel and food are just some of the reasons why people are struggling to cope with the cost of living.
Donations from local businesses and individuals of food and other essential items are sorted by volunteers into emergency parcels which are then distributed to various collection points across the borough for people most in need.
Telford Foodbank has only been operating a short time but during April and May alone over 800 food parcels were issued to families and individuals; 350 in April, rising to 461 in May with a similar number expected in June.
The project is heavily reliant on regular donations and donation points are now in operation across the borough, including First Point at Addenbrooke House, the CAB offices in Wellington, King Street Cafe in Wellington, Park Lane Centre in Woodside and the Sambrook Centre in Stirchley.
Due to the number of parcels already distributed, stock is beginning to deplete. Therefore in addition to the donations points already in place, from Friday 28 June to Sunday 30 June, volunteers will be present at the Waitrose store in Newport to accept donations of food and other items for the foodbank.
Typically the types of items that are needed are longlife milk and juice, cereals, crackers, longlife bread, tinned vegetables/meats/fish, rice, pasta and pulses.
Baby products such as formula milk, nappies and baby food are also needed, as are toiletries like soap, shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste.
Jake Bennett, Project Co-ordinator for Telford Foodbank said: “Telford Foodbank is proving vital for those people who have found themselves in difficulty, either temporarily such as a delay to benefits or those with longer term problems such as homelessness.
“After the number of food parcels we have been able to provide over these first few months, we really need to replenish our dwindling stock and so we are calling on people to help us again and continue to help us as much as possible.
“Donating can be as easy as putting an extra item in your shopping trolley once a week, it doesn’t have to be expensive, we’re not precious about brand names, a tin of value beans can cost as little as 20p!”
James Turrell, Department Manager of Waitrose in Newport, added: “As part of the Waitrose commitment to support local communities, we are delighted to be hosting a Telford Foodbank donation point in branch.
“We shall be encouraging all our customers to put an extra item or two in their trolley and donate it to the volunteers on their way out.
“This is one of the many ways in which Waitrose supports the local community. We encourage our partner organisations to volunteer for community activities, and offer a Community Matters scheme where we donate £1,000 to local charities and organisations.”
Councillor Shaun Davies, cabinet member for Neighbourhood Services, Employment and Skills further added: “Co-operative Fortnight is an opportunity for the Council to let the public know what we are delivering as a co-operative council.
“Telford Foodbank is a shining example of this. Not only are we working with a range of partner organisations but we have also been gathering support from local businesses such as Jonson Controls and Capgemini who themselves have felt encouraged to work with us and set up their own donation campaigns with staff.
“The results so far show that this approach has worked amazingly well.”
