Volunteers sought for Droitwich foodbank as demand for service soars - The Droitwich Standard

Volunteers sought for Droitwich foodbank as demand for service soars

Droitwich Editorial 30th Oct, 2017   0

DROITWICH Spa Foodbank has revealed the extent of the help it has given residents in need in the last 12 months.

From 2016-17, more than 1,300 three-day emergency food supplies were provided to Droitwich people in crisis, compared to 1,186 in 2015-16.

Of those, 449 went to children and the top three reasons for referral were ‘low income’ (25 per cent), ‘benefit delay’ (18 per cent) and ‘benefit changes’ (17 per cent).

The work of the foodbank’s volunteer force is crucial to stopping local people going hungry and in the last year 74 local people have volunteered.




There are 25 volunteers sitting in foodbank sessions, meeting and talking to people referred to the foodbank by a local agency.

But there are another 70 volunteers working behind the scenes.


Additional tasks include stock-taking, fundraising, picking up food donations, inputting data, collecting in supermarkets, handling the foodbank’s website and social media, and many more.

Droitwich Spa Foodbank is a member of The Trussell Trust network.

Due to cold weather and high energy bills (particularly for customers on pre-payment meters), foodbanks are working with their referral agencies to ensure people likely to hit crisis over the festive period have food ahead of Christmas Day.

Many foodbanks in The Trussell Trust network see a spike in demand during the lead up to Christmas.

Dave Adams Droitwich Spa Foodbank Manager, said: “The emergency food our foodbank provides gives people the breathing space needed when they’re hit by something unavoidable, like redundancy, illness or a delayed benefit payment, and there’s no money for food.

“But what is just as important as the food is the warm welcome our foodbank volunteers give.

“Local people across Droitwich are all working hard in our foodbank to create non-judgmental environment which helps people feel at ease.

“Our volunteers offer cups of tea, a listening ear, and are all trained to signpost people towards organisations that can best help them address the underlying reasons for their referral.

“Without our volunteers, we simply couldn’t stop local people going hungry – thank you to each and every one of you.”

Despite generous food donations and volunteers’ time there are many hidden costs for the foodbank, including warehouse space, the distribution centres, utility bills and insurances. The foodbank welcomes any new offers of funding help from local businesses, organisations and individuals.

Anyone who can help the Droitwich Spa Foodbank financially or by volunteering during this busy time should visit www.droitwichspa.foodbank.org.uk for more information.

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