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Feeding the community
Whittlesey Emergency Food Aid is just one of many food banks across the country that work hard to help families put food on their tables.
Set up in 2014 by Chairman David Mason and Pastor Brian Smithyman from Whittlesey Christian Church, the food bank currently provides emergency food supplies for over 60 families around its local area.
When local people are referred to the food bank and begin to use the service, the volunteers make up food bags catered to the preferences of the family including number of children and dietary requirements.
Joe Jennings (pictured below) is the manager of Whittlesey Emergency Food Aid and is passionate about helping his community when they are at their most vulnerable.
Joe said: “We operate our food bank on an appointment-only basis to help service users feel more comfortable and remain anonymous. Generally, you must queue outside a foodbank to collect your package and that can feel quite exposing. Instead, we leave bags of food in a separate room for people to collect without the need to see anyone.”
Over Christmas, the food bank has different initiatives to help spread some festive joy for the families in need. Children receive an advent calendar and Christmas dinner trimmings including vegetables and roast potatoes are also provided.
“We notice a rise in families needing our help over Christmas and it’s important their children feel the magic of the season, so we do our best to provide advent calendars, chocolate tins and Christmas dinner trimmings,” said Joe.
The food bank also has a great relationship with Whittlesey Community Food Pantry, that works to mitigate food waste in the local area. Any food that is going out of date will be picked up by the food pantry so it can quickly be passed onto people who visit for food on a walk-in basis.
Reflecting on how the community helps the food bank, Joe said: “Lincolnshire Co-op has been a great support for us. When it opened Coates Food Store we received a £250 donation, and I visit our local store three times a week to pick up food.
“The food bank heavily relies on the people of Whittlesey, Coates and the surrounding area who are unbelievably generous with food and cash donations. They give us tremendous help with donations throughout the year and we wouldn’t be here without them.”
