From a small start when the Foodbank opened at Stanwood Methodist Church in January 2020 we have seen a steadily increasing flow of people needing support from the Foodbank in recent months and given the current situation we anticipate this to continue. We are supporting roughly 28 households a week which means around 60 individuals.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who is donating to the food bank in whatever way; every contribution is vital to supporting those in need in our local area. We also thank local businesses including Morrisons, Stannington Fruit and Veg, Go Local, Coop, Tesco and Iceland for their help and support either in donating food or providing a collection point for people to drop off their donations. With- out the generosity of so many people we could not provide to the level we do. In these difficult times for everyone it is humbling to witness so many people dropping donations off and these personal donations are an essential part of the supplies we receive. We have definitely seen an increase in donations as people want to support others during this difficult time in whatever way they can.

Lately we have been encouraged by offers of support from our local community. During half-term a lady kindly provided us with vouchers for children to take to Yanni’s Plaice to exchange for a meal. However when she went to pay for the meals, she was told that the owners were going to foot the bill instead! What an amazing act of generosity. Already people have contacted us to offer a variety of gifts for Christmas. One suggestion is a ‘reverse Advent Calendar’; collect an item a day during Advent towards a parcel for the Foodbank.

Due to Coronavirus restrictions, we are only able to allow volunteers into the building during our opening hour (12-1 on Mondays), which unfortunately means people do have to queue outside whilst waiting for their food parcels. We do hope to be able to improve this situation once the restrictions have been lifted.

For a weekly update of which items are required and drop-off times and places, please check the Foodbank’s Facebook page, where you can also message us with any questions. We always need: long-life milk, tins of meat or fish, cereals, tea, coffee, tinned veg, pasta sauce, biscuits.

Stannington Foodbank is a joint venture between Stanwood Methodist Church and Christ Church.