Beverley Against Poverty

Ian Merryweather, Volunteer helper at BAP writes:

Dear Friends

Beverley Against Poverty is planning to open a Foodbank to serve individuals and families in crisis. Toll Gavel Methodist Church has kindly provided storage facilities and a distribution point including a café facility. It is hoped that the Foodbank and Café will be open on Wednesday afternoon between 2.00pm and 4.00pm. We are aiming to open for business on Wednesday 18th September 2013.

Before the opening there are many tasks to complete and we are inviting local Churches to become involved. Volunteers will be needed to help in many ways.

A Foodbank offers food parcels to those in crisis. Parcels are only given to those who are genuinely in need and who have been given a voucher from an agency that can assess their need. We are asking a number of the caring agencies to hold vouchers for us. We hope these agencies will include Social Services, Children Centres, Cherry Tree Community Association and Community Health Care Bodies. We would also like to include Churches in this process so we are asking that a member of the clergy or an appropriate Church leader would take on this responsibility.

The Foodbank will be reliant for most of its food supplies on donations from individuals and groups within the town. We are appealing to local churches to help in this venture requesting that they ask their congregations for donations of food.

As our launch day is very near to Harvest time we wondered whether Churches would be willing to ask their congregations that Harvest gifts this year might be food that we could use in the Foodbank. As we will only operate on a Wednesday we will only be able to accept dried and tinned goods and we would ask that they be within their use by date.

We have included a list of items, which has been recommended to us by the Trussell Trust, which is a national body that has successfully established Foodbanks all over the country and is helping us to establish the Beverley Foodbank. Monetary donations will also be acceptable as we can use this to buy further items.

If you are able to help us as: Volunteers, an agent to distribute vouchers, or in supplying food, we would be most grateful. Contact can be made through: Jim Sharp Secretary email jis@sharp13.karoo.co.uk Tel: 01482868383, or Ian Merryweather email ian_merryweather@hotmail.co.uk Tel: 01482 867958

We have included a brief description of a foodbank, a form for Volunteers and a List of food items that we are able to use.

Thank you in anticipation.