What are Foodbanks?

Every day people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. A simple box of food makes a big difference, with foodbanks helping prevent building debts, housing loss, family breakdown and mental health problems. The Nantwich Foodbank in partnership with the Trussel Trust was set up to assist people in the community who are struggling, through no fault of their own. Back in 2012 we approached Jane at the Nantwich Foodbank who was just getting ready to open their doors to the local community, unsure of where it would go

We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry. That’s why we provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis. We are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.

Trussell Trust

Getting Help

We know that anyone can find themselves at crisis point for a number of different reasons. The foodbanks work with a number of different agencies, such as Citizens Advice, children’s centres and health visitors. To find out more about which agencies hold our vouchers and how you can get help, please contact your local Foodbank.

When you visit a referral agency they will take some basic details from you to complete the voucher. This will help them to identify the cause of your crisis and offer practical guidance. It also means that the volunteers at the foodbank centre are able to prepare suitable emergency food for the right number of people , cater for any allergies and extra requirements such as nappies and baby food.

Once you have been issued with a voucher, you can exchange this for a minimum of three days of emergency food at your nearest foodbank centre. The volunteers will offer refreshments and the chance for you to talk through what led you to need the referral and see if there is extra support that can be arranged for you. The chance to talk is hugely beneficial.

How We Help

7 years ago Weaver & Bomfords began working with a newly opened Nantwich Foodbank initially to help with the Christmas demand. The W&B staff gave up their favourite pre Christmas treats and a collection box of food was donated. After meeting Jane and the rest of the volunteers, we realised that more help and support was needed and with that we have continued to help. From designing and printing new signage to physically helping with stock take and stocking the shelves we have continued to support the team as the demand has grown.

We put together a promotion video to try and make their message more accessible to a wider audience and to show the local community the work that goes into keeping the shelves stocked.

With this being our 7th Christmas appeal we wanted to do something different. So for every order placed online we will match with a donation to the Foodbank. We are hoping this is going to be our biggest donation yet. We would like to thank all our customers and suppliers who have helped us over the years to support Nantwich Foodbank and the work they do.

Weaver and The Foodbank Through The Years

We have been a donation drop off point each year over Christmas and we have customers send in boxes of their own donations. You may have seen the Foodbank volunteers in various supermarkets over the years handing out bookmark shopping lists. For 7 years we have helped design, print and distribute these to our local Foodbank. They can give out up to 1000 bookmarks in one weekend. We have done these for Nantwich and Mid Cheshire Foodbank, throughout the years. We have printed posters, banners, leaflets and newsletters. Our aim to take away any cost they may incur for printing so they can use the donations they receive to buy vital supplies.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the donations they received. With demand growing and clients needing advice from outside services the idea was developed by Paul Stone, a long-serving volunteer and trustee. In 2014 Paul, Tamara and Jane launched the new signposting service project. This was a multi-agency project supported by South Cheshire Print, who, by offering their support, meant we could use our resources in other areas. We are now in our 5th year of offering this service. This means that the Foodbank Clients can be guided to receive more help that just food. We have been with the Foodbank as the demand has grown and where possible have tried to support that need.

We will keep you posted on how your orders have helped the community and where the donations go.

If you want to find out more about the Trussell Trust or Nantwich Foodbank please contact Jane on 07896 652209 or email info@nantwich.foodbank.org.uk