Crowthorne Foodbank

I’ve attached a PowerPoint slide (see below) that we have posted onto the Crowthorne Foodbank Facebook page for you to copy into your Newsletter.

Following my request for volunteers on our Facebook page, we were inundated with almost 30 volunteers, who were not having to self-isolate and who were immediately available to help with both, our food packing at Wellington College and our distribution at the Vineyard Office. We also had some volunteers offering to collect food from the usual donation points; Tesco Meadows and the Co-op in Crowthorne High Street. 

Several churches used to have collection buckets in their churches which members of the congregation used to bring their donations – but obviously, since we stopped meeting, these have dropped off.

Tesco at the Meadows had to temporarily remove one of our collection tubs due to people TAKING from rather than donating TO the Foodbank!

We will be publishing the latest donation and distribution figures at the end of the month but we expect to them to show a small decline in food donations but a massive increase in food parcel distribution.

Volunteers.

Although each day more volunteers seem to call in advising us that they are unable to continue – we now have a bank of volunteers we can call upon. So, currently our volunteer bank is healthy, but if people want to add their name to the “reserve list” as back-up this is how they do it - below. Trussell Trust have now clarified that Foodbank Volunteers are categorised as “Key Workers” – and all that that entails as per the Government guidelines.

Contact: Vineyard Office Foodbank Administration;  info@crowthorne.foodbank@org.uk or call on 01344 780087

(Similarly, if any of your congregation or parishioners require food parcels from Foodbank – please contact the above and our folks will arrange a voucher and possibly delivery)

Donations  

Food donations – as per usual: Tesco Meadows and the Co-op. Here is a dynamic link showing our current shortages / requirements

https://crowthorne.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/

Financial Donations – we have never had a ‘financial donation’ option previously but many people who can’t get out are wanting to donate financially on-line, so that our key workers can purchase any items that we are running short of. So we have now created one and added it to our website and Facebook pages. Here is the link for those wanting to donate financially.

https://wokinghamvineyard.churchsuite.co.uk/donate/fund/3

We are waiting to see what role our Foodbank will play (if any) in the Government food distribution strategy which will service Crowthorne village which is being co-ordinated by Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Without Councils….watch this space….