News from the Foodbank
HAYES COMMUNITY FOOD BANK: Registered Charity 1198866
Account details (Co-op Bank):
Hayes Community Foodbank Kent; 08-92-99; 67307296.
All enquiries for deliveries of items should be made by email to:hayescommunityfoodbank@gmail.com
Another crucial task carried out by the Foodbank team is in raising awareness of the need for a Foodbank and how people can help.
Over the years since we began, we have seen over thirty students who have completed either the bronze or silver service element to their Duke of Edinburgh award challenge. Not only are these youngsters brilliant at shifting heavy crates, restacking shelves and finding ‘best before’ dates with their young eyes, we also get them to pack bags for a family. This gives them the opportunity to think about quantities, meal planning, basic foods versus treats but it also raises their awareness that a number of families in the Hayes area experience food poverty. They ask inquisitive questions about why foodbanks are needed; why we give out certain foods and not others; the need for discretion and confidentiality. The students don’t know who the families are but they have learned that not everyone in their class will necessarily have had breakfast before they came to school that morning or that some families have to rely on the washing pods provided by the Foodbank to wash their school uniform. If we can sow some seeds now maybe one of these youngsters will be in a position in the future to do something about food poverty.
Recently two of the Foodbank Lead team came to talk to the Tuesday afternoon Friendship Group about the work of the Foodbank. Claire and Ali explained the need for a Foodbank in Hayes – benefits not covering costs; the vulnerable in society; those trying to escape domestic abuse. Claire then posed an interesting quiz asking if we thought there were more McDonalds or more Sainsbury’s store than foodbanks in the UK and the answers was really surprising. Ali went on to explain how our Foodbank works in practice and then I took the Friendship Group folk on a tour of the church and vestries to see the stores. There were some very perceptive comments about ‘how it looks like a lot of soup but………’ and ‘ this is all good basic staples you’re giving out’. A number of folk had no idea there even was a Foodbank in Hayes. Claire and Ali certainly gave everyone food for thought (sorry!)
I’m sure that when we set up the foodbank in 2020 we envisaged it as a short term measure to give help though the pandemic. I don’t think any of us thought we would still be operating and growing six years later. Teresa and the team