upper eden foodbank

Upper Eden Foodbank      

200 children and adults fed to date 28.5.13

• What are we?

• The Upper Eden Foodbank is a project based in the Appleby Sands Methodist Church. We aim to supply short term crisis led food supplies to care agency referrals. To begin with we worked with health professionals and G.P's in Appleby and surrounding parishes. This has now expanded to include Citizens advice bureaux, Adult Social Care, Childrens Services and R.A.B.I. For now we meet small pockets of need across a wide area, we don't as yet have the facilities or demand for a drop in centre model, but would look to change this according to need.

• How does it work?

• Food items are donated via collection points, from these, the items are then dated and stored ready to make up a food box, contents of which are made according to family/single users. We have lately looked at adapting the box to meet single parent or homeless needs. On request we will deliver a food parcel/s based on the number of people in the household, to the nearest doctors surgery, local office or other chosen area where appropriate.

• Who needs this?

• Users are identified through referrals from health and social care professionals, or community advice agencies who then request a parcel, we prefer to deliver to a central point such as a doctors surgery, C.A.B. office, or Social care office, to preserve confidentiality and reduce the need for paperwork and data protection, but will be looking to open the bank for those who wish to visit and collect,  or indeed deliver to out lying areas where needed. 

• To qualify you need to be known to your G.P. , or have been referred by an advice/social care service.  We have accepted requests from individuals but prefer the above process as we are not equipped at present to counsel on debt, social care or benefits.

• Many people who access the bank have been let down by the welfare revisions currently being implemented, Or have found benefits stopped for long periods of time.

• You could also be someone in employment on a low wage, or have recently been made redundant.

• Someone who has been just able to tick along and pay everything, with nothing spare to save and suddenly a disaster strikes. 

•  We operate a policy of three accesses per year, with the parcels being meant to meet immediate dire need.

• Can I help?

• We are always looking for volunteers to help with collecting and dating, when you see a buy one get one free offer consider donating the free one, help out at harvest collections, help with transport. We are looking for a number of people to form a management group and to be prepared to man the phone. We need people from areas some distance from Appleby, as our catchment area is widely spread.

 

We are located at:
Appleby Methodist Church, The Sands Appleby-in-Westmorland

Tel 07596 690 902 mobile

 

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