Saltash Foodbank Annual Report 2023
Helping local people in food crisis
- Chair's Message Richard Margetts
At last year’s AGM I mentioned how proud I was to be working alongside such a splendid team of volunteers in supporting those in our community who found themselves in need of help with food. Over the last year, my admiration for our team of volunteers and trustees has only increased.
As is evident from national and local news coverage, the ‘cost of living’ crisis which has developed largely as a result of escalating fuel costs and high inflation has hit those at the bottom of society most, resulting in greatly increased reliance on foodbanks and other sources of food support. We have – - certainly seen this in our own figures as covered elsewhere in this report and other local groups are reporting the same experience.
Foodbanks shouldn’t be necessary in a country as rich as ours, but clearly they are. However, crisis support with food is only part of the solution and during this year we have increasingly become a channel for other types of – aid for example providing help with fuel costs both directly and via the Fuelbank Foundation and also with ‘winter support items’ through the cold weather. It is evident that many of our clients’ problems are more intractable than the ‘short term food crisis’ that Foodbanks were initially set up to meet. The Trussell Trust, IFAN and other campaigning groups are - steadily moving towards a ‘Cash First’ view put simply, if people have enough reliable income, the skills to use it wisely and sustainable sources of affordable food there is no need for anyone to go hungry.
While we have now moved away from an ‘all delivery’ model, our premises don’t allow us to operate a ‘Drop-In’ centre as some Foodbanks do, so opportunity to interact with our clients remains limited. As a response to this, we now have a small but very dedicated Virtual Signposting team, who phone clients shortly after delivery of a food parcel to ask how they are doing and see if there is other help they need. This can sometimes be practical (fuel, household items, etc.) but the underlying aim is to signpost them to other sources of longer-term help such as Citizens Advice, Christians Against Poverty, housing agencies, mental health support or counselling services. This has been a great success. Just the fact that someone has bothered to ask is appreciated and in many cases we have been able to pass on useful points of contact.
To return to our volunteers, we are helping more people in more ways than ever, and none of this would be possible without the dedication of our splendid volunteers who collect food, pack food, deliver food, count the tins, prepare Christmas hampers & wrap presents, answer the phone calls, pick up the e-mails, provide signposting, manage the accounts, arrange training, and do much more to keep the show on the road. During the year some volunteers have had to take a step back for various reasons – we thank – you for your support; others have joined us we welcome you into the team! It was particularly pleasing that the pivotal role that Rika, our Foodbank Manager, selflessly plays in all that we do was recognised in March by Saltash Council with a Civic Award for Contribution to the Community.
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I would like to single out one more person for particular mention. We were all very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Robert (Bob) McLean in November 2022, at the age of just 60. Bob was a Saltash Foodbank Volunteer and Trustee from its very beginning and is remembered fondly for his reliability, hard work, smile and cheerfulness. As one comment puts it, “he lifted people’s spirits and at meetings he had a way of reassuring us that we were all doing our best.” As a Trustee, Bob brought us the benefits, not only of his business experience and skills (though we never needed his ability to speak Japanese) but also those of his strong personal faith and his firm belief in what we were all trying to achieve. He is greatly missed and it is right to express our condolences once again to Julie and his family.
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Bob McLean
1962 - 2022
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- Foodbank Centre Report Rika Chanter
The year started with our 10th Anniversary celebration at Saltash Wesley Church, with our annual fundraising and awareness Coffee Morning. Many of our volunteers who provide a variety of roles at different times of the week were able to meet up and get to know each other. We were also supported that day by the Saltash Mayor, Councillor Richard Bickford and his wife. This anniversary is bittersweet, as it celebrates the work of the volunteers and the generous donations of the local Saltash community, but at the same time it is sad that there is an increased need for foodbanks due the effects of Covid and the cost of living, adding to the number of people struggling to make ends meet. We are thankful to the many talented and dedicated volunteers who have kept pace with the increasing demands on our services. A BIG THANK YOU!
We have again seen a busy year with many more people struggling to afford the essentials. This has made us increase the support we are providing for people through extra Signposting from our Virtual Signposting volunteers. They call our clients a few weeks after they have received food from us, to see if further advice is needed. This makes them aware of local support services in Saltash and occasionally Plymouth, such as community fridges, mental health support, help with data on their mobile phone, etc. We refer
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people to other support agencies such as Citizens Advice and Christians Against Poverty, for debt advice and budgeting support. We have also applied for grants which have allowed us to support people with energy top-ups. This is both for those on prepayment meters (through the Fuelbank Foundation) and those paying monthly. A £5,000 grant from The Trussell Trust allowed us to buy warm items to help people during last winter when the cost of energy was so high. This support included blankets, thermals, slow cookers, duvets, hats, gloves and socks to name just some of the many items purchased. Some slow cookers have even been donated by the Saltash Scrapstore and the community to pass on to our clients. Easy to read recipe books for slow cookers and soups were donated by the Plymouth Charity ‘Food is Fun’ and were distributed with the slow cookers. The grant from The Trussell Trust also allowed more volunteers to claim for their travel expenses while volunteering with us. We realise that the cost of living is affecting everyone, clients and volunteers alike!
The figures from 2021/2 to 2022/3 show a 47% increase in people needing support from Saltash Foodbank, with many needing our services for the first time. There is no typical client. We have helped people who were single and homeless or sofa surfing, to those who were running a successful business but suddenly found themselves in a difficult situation and in need of support. There are those who work, as well as those on benefits who are struggling this year, especially as we are in an area of higher housing cost and lower wages. The underlying issue for many is that the amount of money they have coming in does not cover the essentials, such as housing, energy, clothing (especially school uniforms and shoes), essential bills such as council tax and water bills, and connectivity. Being able to use a device to contact your job centre or support service comes at a cost that not all can afford; but it is no longer a luxury, it is an essential item. The Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation are currently campaigning to ensure that all those on benefits have enough money to cover these essentials. They estimate that benefit levels need to rise significantly to allow people to afford even the bare essentials. Until this change is made the need for Foodbanks and similar - charities will remain high and may not be sustainable. Here is a link to the campaign: https://tinyurl.com/mtb5vpwe
In Saltash we are blessed to have other organisations that are able to support people, such as Saltash Citizens Advice, who run a drop-in service on Wednesday mornings and Christians Against Poverty which is run from the Baptist Church. We also had ‘Warm Spaces’ this winter at several venues, such as Saltash Wesley Methodist Church (who also provided soup on Tuesday and Wednesday during the colder months), the Community Kitchen, The Core and the Baptist Church. Many groups meet up at the Community Kitchen e.g. those that support people struggling with mental health issues. The Social Prescriber (linked to local doctors’ surgeries) is regularly there on a Wednesday morning to talk to people and offer ‘Soft Signposting’. The Community Fridge is run from there on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, with an additional mobile Community Fridge on a Monday throughout Saltash. The Real Junk Food Project have been providing hot meals to homeless people placed by the council in the Travelodge, as they only have a kettle to cook with in their rooms, to ensure they have a nourishing meal once a day during the week.
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- Vouchers Report Rika Chanter
As mentioned in my previous report we have seen a significant rise in people needing our services, an increase of 47% from year 2021-2022 to the year of this report 2022-2023. Below is the breakdown of the numbers of adults and children we have fed in that period.
| 1st April to 31st March | Fulflled vouchers | Adults | Children | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 to 2023 | 614 | 926 | 685 | 1,611 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 427 | 652 | 445 | 1,097 |
| 2020 to 2021* | 496 | 796 | 488 | 1,284 |
| *(2020 to 2021 includes 56 + vouchers for Plympton food bank) |
Age distribution of people supported during the year 2022-2023
The largest group is the working age group of age 25 to 64 and after that come the children’s groups of all ages. In the coming year our reporting ages will be split further into a 10 year age group for working age people.
| Age Group | Number of people |
|---|---|
| Adults (17 - 24 yrs) | 173 |
| Adults (25 - 64 yrs) | 715 |
| Adults (Over 65 yrs) | 30 |
| Adults (unknown age) | 8 |
| Children (0 - 4 yrs) | 181 |
| Children (12 - 16 yrs) | 198 |
| Children (5 - 11 yrs) | 294 |
| Children (unknown age) | 12 |
| Total people fed | 1,611 |
Household sizes supported with food parcels during 2022 to 2023
| Size of family | Vouchers - number | Vouchers - % |
|---|---|---|
| Couple | 105 | 17.10% |
| Family | 121 | 19.71% |
| Other | 38 | 6.19% |
| Single | 177 | 28.83% |
| Single Parent | 173 | 28.18% |
| Total Vouchers | 614 | 100% |
From the figures above we see a large number of single people, single parents and primary school age children needing our food when in a financial crisis. We know the cost of living is affecting all households, but some more than others. As in previous years the number of people we see age 65 and over is still very low but we are sure there must be people in this age group who are struggling.
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These are the areas from where our clients come, for food parcels. The shaded rows are in the Saltash area.
| Ward | Fulflled Vouchers |
Adults | Children | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budshead | 15 | 25 | 5 | 30 |
| Callington & St. Dominic | 10 | 20 | 28 | 48 |
| Devonport | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Eggbuckland | 8 | 11 | 11 | 22 |
| Ham | 4 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Honicknowle | 24 | 40 | 37 | 77 |
| Liskeard South & Dobwalls | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Looe East & Deviock | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Looe West, Pelynt, Lansallos & Lanteglos | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Lynher | 7 | 13 | 15 | 28 |
| NFA (No Fixed Address) | 11 | 12 | 6 | 18 |
| Rame Peninsula & St. Germans | 9 | 12 | 7 | 19 |
| Saltash Essa | 217 | 309 | 236 | 545 |
| Saltash Tamar | 156 | 240 | 200 | 440 |
| Saltash Trematon & Landrake | 55 | 76 | 38 | 114 |
| Southway | 8 | 19 | 20 | 39 |
| St. Budeaux | 62 | 98 | 68 | 166 |
| St. Cleer & Menheniot | 8 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Stoke | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sutton and Mount Gould | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Torpoint | 11 | 17 | 3 | 20 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 614 | 926 | 685 | 1,611 |
As a Trussell Trust Foodbank we operate by referrals. This is now mainly by e- voucher. The client contacts the support agency and they generate the e- voucher on the Trussell Trust database. Below is the tally of referrals received in the last year. A few are received as emails e.g. from the Job Centre. We convert these to e-vouchers after we have talked to the client regarding their reason for referral (as this is not recorded by the Job Centre). The referral agency, Help Through Hardship is a nationwide Helpline that was set up during Covid by The Trussell Trust and Citizens Advice. This allows people to speak to someone from Citizens Advice who can refer them to a Foodbank but also highlights the additional support the client can receive from Citizens Advice itself. The Real Junk Food Project was a local scheme providing hot meals to people in temporary accommodation e.g. the Travelodge. The clients were placed there, awaiting a property to become available to house them. This could be due, for example, to domestic violence, eviction or relationship breakdown. We supported people directly when these meals were unavailable for a few weeks, due to holidays or due to the Travelodge clients having extra expenses such as travel or food costs. For those in temporary accommodation, when we provide a food parcel, we call it a ‘kettle pack’ and add extra hot meal vouchers to ensure a more varied diet if a hot meal is not available by other means.
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Occasionally we do have people come to our doors on days when we are open, when the client is desperate and cannot contact a support worker that day. In these cases we provide an emergency food parcel with items we have lots of such as pasta, beans, cereal and soup so they can have something to eat. This gives them time to call a support worker for a proper food parcel that will then give them 3 days of food for a balanced diet.
Receiving the grant for my fuel top ups was sincerely It eased the strain and about fuel appreciated. worry my as they are both on key meters. In these difficult times I found it a relief and really grateful. It also gave me a bit of breathing space to get my bills in order. Safe to say it was a life saver in difficult times and that very hope everyone at the foodbank knows they are amazing. Thank so much. you
- Secretary’s Report Corina Clement
The Trustees have continued to hold regular monthly meetings on Zoom over the year, including reports from the treasurer, and on the warehouse, drop-in centre, collections, agencies and projects. We were able to hold our AGM in SSNF Church Rooms which was well attended by Trustees and volunteers. We – – also had a social get together a faith lunch which proved popular. It is important for volunteers to be able to get together in a social setting.
The Virtual Signposting initiative has been running for a year now and has provided help and advice to 229 clients in that time. This is proving a great benefit and the Trustees are very grateful to Jackie O’Melia for bringing this initiative to fruition and to all the volunteers making the calls. These can be stressful and The Trussell Trust are making confidential external support available for volunteers via a third party.
The Trustees have also had virtual meetings with the Trussell Trust and other Foodbanks to exchange ideas and experiences. We have been working with Callington Foodbank on a Trussell Trust initiative on financial inclusion whereby we could arrange access for clients to a CAB adviser.
The Trustees thank our volunteers for their continuing support in the aftermath of the pandemic, particularly the drivers willing to deliver food parcels and collect from supermarkets, and the volunteers checking in the stock and preparing food parcels.
We are particularly grateful to those organisations and businesses that have supported Saltash Foodbank: the supermarkets Waitrose, Lidl, Co-op and Tesco Transit Way; the smaller local shops which host collection baskets; and the local schools, the Core, Community Enterprises PL12, and the Community Fridge and Larder.
The Hot Meal Voucher scheme has continued to enable homeless Saltash Foodbank clients to have a hot meal and we are grateful to Cod Fathers, Rowes and The Fresh Fox for their support. We are also very grateful to the Antony Estate for providing weekly donations of fresh vegetables.
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- Referrals Report Rika Chanter
These are the agencies that can refer clients to us through the Trussell Trust database, with the exception of the Job Centres, who refer to us by email with their own vouchers, which we convert to a Foodbank voucher.
| Referral Agency | Saltash Foodbank |
|---|---|
Job Centre |
109 |
| Help through Hardship | 90 |
CAP |
51 |
| Saltash Foodbank | 38 |
| Citizen's Advice - Liskeard | 37 |
| 1st Stop- Plymouth City Council | 32 |
Cornwall Housing |
24 |
The Real Junk Food Project |
23 |
Saltash Health Visiting Team |
13 |
Burraton CP School |
12 |
| Cornwall Council Assessments and Crisis and Care Team | 10 |
| Together for Families in Cornwall | 10 |
Cornwall Housing - Inclusion Advisor |
8 |
We Are With You (formerly Addaction) |
8 |
Health Works For Cornwall |
7 |
| PASS Plymouth Autistic Spectrum Service | 7 |
Children and Families Services |
6 |
| Pentreath | 6 |
| Saltash Wesley Methodist Church | 6 |
Citizens Advice Bureau Exeter |
5 |
| Pluss | 5 |
| Education, Health and Social Care (Child in Need Team) | 4 |
Fountain Head House School |
4 |
| Plaistow Hill Infant and Nursery School | 4 |
Saltash Family Hub |
4 |
Seetec Pluss |
4 |
| We are with you | 4 |
Wolseley Trust |
4 |
Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy |
3 |
Children and Family Services |
3 |
Citizens Advice Bureau |
3 |
| Health Visitors | 3 |
| Improving Lives Plymouth | 3 |
Launceston Adult Social Care |
3 |
| Multi Agency Support Team (Mast) | 3 |
Together for Families |
3 |
We Are With You |
3 |
| Plymouth Citizens Advice | 2 |
Adult Social Services - Falmouth/Penryn Team |
2 |
Age UK Cornwall |
2 |
CHES Acadamy |
2 |
Citizens Advice SE Staffs |
2 |
| District Guiding Commissioner | 2 |
Livewell Southwest- NHS |
2 |
| Pentreath Ltd | 2 |
| Pentreath Ltd | 2 |
| Saltash Community School | 2 |
Social Services Crisis Team |
2 |
| St Stephens Saltash CP School | 2 |
Trevillis House |
2 |
| Adult Social Care - Liskeard, Looe andRame | 1 |
CA Manchester |
1 |
| Citizens Advice Cornwall - Saltash | 1 |
| Citizens Advice Southend | 1 |
| Clear Thinking Care Ltd. | 1 |
CN4C |
1 |
| Cornwall Housing - Prevention & Engagement Team | 1 |
Cornwall Housing LTD |
1 |
Devon and Cornwall Probation Trust |
1 |
| Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support | 1 |
Disability Cornwall |
1 |
Early help hub |
1 |
Government Probation Service |
1 |
| Harbour Centre | 2 |
| Harbour Hyde Park House | 1 |
Launceston College |
1 |
Launceston Family Hub |
1 |
Livewell Community Mental Health AOS |
1 |
LiveWest Housing |
1 |
Mind |
1 |
| Plymouth Community Homes | 1 |
Seetec Pluss / Pluss CIC |
1 |
| St Petroc's | 1 |
| Together for Families Liskeard | 1 |
Whitleigh Community Primary School |
1 |
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| **1st Reason ** | 2nd Reason | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Income | 34 | 9 | 43 |
| Other | 10 | 8 | 18 |
| Debt |
9 | 5 | 14 |
| Beneft Changes |
6 | 6 | 12 |
Beneft delays |
5 | 6 | 11 |
Homeless |
8 | 2 | 10 |
| Sickness/Ill health | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| No recourse to public funds | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Domestic abuse |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Child holiday meals | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Delayed Wages |
0 | 1 | 1 |
A referral identifying the reason as ‘Other’ could refer to a number of issues. The main 'Other' reason currently is the ‘Cost of Living’ crisis, with people in a negative budget (also referred to as 'low income'). This means the household bills of rent, utilities, council tax and phone bills take up most of the budget (whether earned or benefits) with not much left for food or other items such as clothing, shoes and other essentials. For some people it could be that their hours of work have been cut or that they are on a zero-hours contract. For others it is that they have deductions from their benefits for previous crisis loans they had from DWP, with some needing to be paid back within a year. These households need further support to ensure they receive all the benefits they are entitled to and often get referred to Citizens Advice for support.
These data are also used by the Trussell Trust to campaign on our clients’ behalf to ensure they can afford the essentials and so that, one day, there will be no need for Foodbanks.
The actual number of homeless people is not fully identified in these data as many are ‘hidden homeless’. Some have an address but are either in temporary accommodation or are sofa surfing. Homelessness may not even be recorded as the primary reason for referral. One example is that 23 referrals from the Real Junk Food project (individuals and sometimes - families) who were placed in the Travelodge would be classed as homeless.
- Agencies Report Sara Walker
At the time of writing, we have 90 potential referral agencies on the database. Of these, over 70 have referred to us in the past year. Referral rates range from one or two from some agencies, to over a hundred, with the three most frequent referrers being the Job Centres, Help through Hardship and Christians Against Poverty. We responded to 38 clients who approached us directly without contacting a referral agency. In total there have been 614 referrals this year.
I am in the process of updating all contact details which will be a continual process as staff within the agencies change and some agencies no longer wish to be referrers. Each agency is now set up to send e-vouchers.
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- Volunteering Report Kathryn Caves
In a year which has seen the demands on the Foodbank increase significantly, we continue to be indebted to a large team of volunteers who give generously of their time to fulfil an ever-expanding range of roles.
Inevitably, we have lost a number of volunteers, through illness or other commitments. However, we have recruited a number of new dedicated members to our team. A few joined us for the Christmas hamper packing and fortunately stayed on. We now need larger teams for drop-in sessions because of the increase in demand. The generous donations made by the public, churches and local businesses require more volunteers to weigh, date and store food. Collections from supermarkets, pre-packing of food parcels, manning organised collections at supermarkets and delivering food parcels to clients not able to collect from Belle Vue Road, requires a large team.
We look forward to recruiting more in the coming year so that cover is available when volunteers need to be absent for holidays, appointments etc.
My thanks go to all those who give so many hours and are flexible enough to allow the Foodbank to operate as smoothly as possible in order to help the increasing number of clients who turn to us.
From one of our agencies: Would just like to pass on my Thanks to yourself and your amazing volunteers for the generosity in the items that have to ... which I am sure he is you given going to be appreciative of. Many thanks again.
- Supermarket Collections Report Jackie O’Melia
We held the first manned supermarket collection since the Covid pandemic in September 22. Following this a further four collections have been held locally thanks to the support of Co-op and Waitrose in Saltash and Tesco, Transit Way in West Park. These, along with food collected from the baskets in collection points locally, have gone a long way towards helping with the increase in vouchers issued to clients.
Being visible again in stores has brought positive feedback from the community and also helped to spread the word that we are still part of the community, and to remind people that Saltash Foodbank is here to help them.
If supermarket collections were not to continue, Saltash Foodbank would soon be unable to support its clients. Also vital is the ongoing sterling support of the Foodbank volunteers, local stores, businesses, churches and the community. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in, or supported the collections, helping Saltash Foodbank to provide its support for another year.
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- Warehouse Report Rika Chanter
| Donor name | Donor type | Stock in (kg) | Customer donations (kg) | Store donation (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waitrose Saltash | Supermarket | 12582.57 | 8227.48 | 4355.09 |
| Lidl Supermarket | Supermarket | 6926.45 | 4320 | 2606.45 |
| Tesco Plymouth Transit Way | Supermarket | 6181.92 | 6181.92 | 0 |
| Hay Farm, Antony Estate (fresh veg) | Corporate | 4507.35 | ||
| Co-op Depot | Supermarket | 3451.25 | 0 | 3451.25 |
| Co-op | Supermarket | 1681.65 | 1681.65 | 0 |
| Aldi Plympton | Supermarket | 1477.8 | 245.9 | 1231.9 |
| Community | Individual(s) | 989.3 | ||
| Appleby Westward | Bulk food distributor | 346.35 | ||
| St Stephens School (partly H) | Education | 229.5 | ||
| Food Warehouse | Supermarket | 206.2 | 206.2 | |
| Saltash Wesley (partly H) | Church | 188.9 | ||
| Saltash Rock Choir | Community group | 167.4 | ||
| Our lady Catholic Church Saltash | Church | 156.9 | ||
| Kernow Services Design Ltd | Corporate | 144 | ||
| Burraton School | Education | 136.1 | ||
| Colin & Janet Breed | Individual(s) | 118.55 | ||
| Pentillie Castle | Corporate | 117.55 | ||
| St Thomas Moore, Southway | Church | 89.4 | ||
| Landulph School | Education | 84.1 | ||
| Nicholls and Sainsbury Solicitors | Corporate | 83.2 | ||
| NHS Headquarters | Corporate | 62.15 | ||
| Bishop Cornish | Education | 57.68 | ||
| Saltash Rotary Club | Charity | 54.55 | ||
| Hellermann Tyton | Corporate | 49 | ||
| Brunel School (H) | Education | 46.1 | ||
| Landulph Church (H) | Church | 45.75 | ||
| Saltash Community School | Education | 43.7 | ||
| Baptist Church | Church | 43.5 | ||
| Barrett Homes | Corporate | 32 | ||
| Age Concern Club | Community group | 29.45 | ||
| Mote Park Spar | Supermarket | 29.05 | 29.05 | 0 |
| Earth Breeze | Corporate | 25.85 | ||
| Deli bazaar | Supermarket | 24.95 | 24.95 | 0 |
| Blunts Methodist Church (H) | Church | 22.15 | ||
| St Nick's and St Faith's Church | Church | 20.8 | ||
| Psychology Associates | Corporate | 14.7 | ||
| Biffa | Corporate | 14.1 | ||
| The Core | Charity | 13.6 | ||
| St Stephens Church | Church | 10.05 | ||
| Foodbank volunteer | Individual(s) | 8.35 | ||
| Post Offce | Customers | 6.95 | ||
| Burraton Chapel | Church | 5.6 | ||
| NHS Community Speech therapists | Individual(s) | 5 | ||
| Redeemer Church | Church | 3.85 | ||
| Caradon Gig Club | Community group | 3.55 | ||
| Mr & Mrs George | Individual(s) | 2.8 | ||
| Plymouth Refugee Project | Community group | 2.5 | ||
| Revolution Fit | Corporate | 2.5 | ||
| Chapple Property Management | Corporate | 2.3 | ||
| Totals | 40548.97 |
H under ‘Donor name’ indicates Harvest Festival donations
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We have been generously supported during the year by customers at local supermarkets, especially Waitrose customers, with Lidl, Tesco Transit Way and the Co-op not far behind. We appreciate each and every donation we receive and ensure that these donations go to those in most need. Community churches, Schools and community groups have also been very supportive, especially at Harvest Festival time. Then we have individuals and local businesses supporting us at various times during the year, especially at Christmas, when we provide Christmas Hampers to those in greatest need. We have also benefitted from corporate donations, including fresh vegetables from Hay Farm, Antony Estate, such as potatoes, onions, swede, carrots, leeks, and cabbages, when in season. Earth Breeze provides us laundry sheets through a scheme where those who buy their item online, also donate several sheets to a Foodbank. Biffa along with Volunteer Cornwall have donated Easter eggs. Appleby Westward donated biscuits and cereal bars that were getting close to date. Some of these have also helped other local youth groups and warm spaces. Kernow Services Design Ltd. purchased items for us that we needed for Christmas Hampers. Other local businesses and groups have collected for us during the last year, such as Revolution Fit, Post Office Sorting Office, NHS Speech and Language Therapists, Caradon Gig Club, Psychology Associates, Nicholls and Sainsbury Solicitors, Hellermann Tyton, Saltash Rock Choir and Pentillie Castle. Thank you for all your generous donations, we cannot support people in crisis without your generous support. A BIG THANK YOU to all that donate to us!
A few items were purchased, either as specialist items that we needed for clients, eg. formula milk or nappies, items that we were running out of for our food parcels, or items we needed for Christmas Hampers.
Sue Bullock, Kathryn Caves, Charlotte Hammond & Elizabeth Pearson - packing Christmas Hampers!
Rika Chanter (Foodbank Manger) receiving her award from the Mayor. Photo: courtesy of Saltash Town Council
- Donors to Saltash Foodbank by group
| Stock in type | Stock in (kg) | Stock in (% of total) |
|---|---|---|
| Donations from donors - Charities | 68.15 | 0.17% |
| Donations from donors - Churches | 586.9 | 1.44% |
| Donations from donors - Community groups | 202.9 | 0.50% |
| Donations from donors - Corporates | 5002.45 | 12.27% |
| Donations from donors - Educations | 597.18 | 1.46% |
| Donations from donors - Individuals | 1183.2 | 2.90% |
| Donations from donors - Other bulk food distributors | 346.35 | 0.85% |
| Donations from donors - Supermarkets | 32561.84 | 79.88% |
| Purchased | 194.8 | 0.48% |
| Returns from food bank centre | 20.85 | 0.05% |
| Totals | 40,764.62 | 100% |
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Stock Out
| Help Yourself items | 16585.54 (Foodbank Clients / Community Fridge) |
|---|---|
| Client Christmas Hampers | 1411.40 (205 children and 202 adults received a Christmas Hamper with food and giFs) |
| To Liskeard & Looe Foodbank | 308.1 |
| To Plymouth Foodbank | 1827.1 |
| To Plympton Foodbank | 78.0 |
| To non-Trussell Trust food bank or similar | 261.85 |
| To other organisaNon | 34.2 |
| To Aid RedistribuNon Centre Plymouth | 438 |
| To Brunel Primary School | 398.75 |
| To Burraton Primary School | 400.40 |
| To Community Fridge | 1079.15 |
| To Junk Food Project | 2.7 |
| To Keyham Community Green Spaces | 80.5 |
| To Landrake Methodist Church | 13.9 |
| To Landrake Monday Gang | 76.0 |
| To Landrake Primary School | 245.30 |
| To Landulph Primary School | 133.6 |
| To Plymouth Soup Run | 186.6 |
| To Saltash BapNst Church Christmas Day lunch | 5.5 |
| To Saltash Community School | 800.10 |
| To Saltash Wesley Warm space | 70.2 |
| To Shekinah Mission | 961.70 |
| To St Budeaux BapNst Church foodbank | 23.5 |
| To St Stephen's School | 726.05 |
| To The Core | 330.79 |
| To Trevi House | 9.45 |
| To Ukranian CraF Group | 22.55 |
| Emergency food boxes | 788.95 |
| For disposal (OOD/damaged) | 335.4 |
| Food swap | 15.25 |
| Jubilee Lunch | 0.5 |
| MacMillan Cofee Morning - Landrake | 20.55 |
| Ukraine Appeal | 93.55 |
| Stock adjust | 791.28 aFer stock take |
| To Saltash Foodbank | 12769.80 for basic food parcels. |
| Total | 41326.20kg |
Over the last year we have shared a lot of food with other local Foodbanks, other food providers and charities, when we have surplus items they are short of. The ‘Help Yourself’ category includes items we have collected at the end of the day from supermarkets, such as bread, fruit, veg, damaged packaged items, and items not normally on our food allocation list for a food parcel. This makes up over 40% of the stock we have coming in, but possibly only 20% of this is used at our Foodbank, with the remainder being passed on to the Community Fridge in Saltash, for them to distribute to a greater number of people than that we see.
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In our volunteer group we have people who support Ukraine, MacMillan, Trevi House, the Soup Run and Wesley Warm Spaces. We have developed links with all the local schools and support their breakfast and after-school groups. We also pass on items past their ‘best before’ date to the Community Fridge. They have received about one ton of food that would have been wasted, as the Foodbank can only distribute ‘in date’ food.
About 13,000kg went on basic food parcels, on average 20kg per voucher. 614 vouchers were fulfilled in the last year, which was about 7.9kg per person. This amount will last someone for 3 days. In total we have fed 1,611 people over the last year.
We would like to remind people to check our website for the most up-todate list of items we currently need. Alternatively, please download the Bankthefood App onto your phone to get alerts as you enter a local supermarket. This App is linked to our website and will let you know which items Saltash Foodbank needs most.
Thank from heart for the addition left you my parcel you today. ... and I are extremely grateful and blessed with such kindness. We have a Christmas. hope you lovely
- Virtual Signposting Report Jackie O’Melia
In early 2021, in a Trustee meeting, the team discussed how, during Covid, we could get the word out to clients that we had food available and could continue to provide support where needed. Several members of the Trustee team agreed to have a discussion away from the main meeting to decide how this could be arranged.
Around the same time Trussell Trust highlighted a new initiative that several Foodbanks were running called ‘Virtual Signposting’. The virtual signposting initiative was set up to let Foodbank clients know of agencies that might be able to provide support for the underlying issues that brought the client to the Foodbank. The clients may not have heard of the agencies or not realised that the agencies might be able to help. Following some supportive guidance from Trussell Trust and a very helpful meeting with Bath Foodbank it was agreed that we had the capacity to build a Virtual Signposting initiative in Saltash.
There was a great deal of discussion on the best processes to follow to roll the initiative out, and a massive amount of work from Charles and Richard to design the Signposting Database on Coda. Just over a year after the original discussion, the Virtual Signposting team was ready to roll out the project. The first call was made on 6th June 2022. The team is now on track to make nearly 250 calls to clients by its first anniversary. That simple conversation in early 2021 has grown to an avenue of support that I believe is helping clients a great deal. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped set the Virtual Signposting initiative up, from Emma at Trussell Trust, Bath Foodbank, local agencies who have given advice and training, the Trustees, Charles and Richard for their IT expertise and the Virtual Signposting team who have worked so hard to get the project working so well, even in its first year. Thank you everyone.
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- Projects Report Charles Worth
- Effective communication lies at the heart of every successful organisation and Saltash Foodbank is no exception. We constantly review how we communicate with our clients. We make sure that we are not intrusive, but that we get the right information to clients exactly when they need it. We do this through face-to-face conversations, posters, leaflets, text messages, and – by phone which is now an absolutely vital lifeline for anyone in crisis.
Secure and confidential communication between volunteers is also vital. We ensure that the information we collect is digitally secure, up-to-date and complies with best practice guidance. Our innovative communication tools mean that the volunteers who support clients directly, have the most helpful and accurate information possible. Our role is to provide short-term food support to people in crisis. But having done this for some time, we have a wonderful database of organisations where clients can find additional help to address their longer-term issues.
To do this work, we inevitably have to maintain an increasingly sophisticated technology – a secure database, computers, mobile phones – and the confidentiality and security measures that keep the data safe.
These tools have enabled Saltash Foodbank to provide an increasingly wide range of support to those in the greatest need. As well as emergency food we are able, for a small number of clients, to offer additional help. This might include a small amount of help with energy, items to help clients (especially those with children) through cold periods, and SIMs so that clients can keep in contact with loved ones and the support services.
Saltash Foodbank provides emergency food and it ‘Signposts’ clients to sources of additional support. We are not able to provide individual counselling services ourselves, but in a new initiative in collaboration with The Trussell Trust, Callington Foodbank and Citizen’s Advice Cornwall we are hoping soon, to be able to provide additional tailor-made counselling to a small number of Saltash Foodbank clients.
All of this is entirely reliant on the effort, kindness and good will of our extremely hard-working group of volunteers, all of whom are unpaid. The work is tough, and only getting tougher, but the reward is in knowing that we have helped people surmount their immediate crises, so they can move on and lead fuller, more secure lives.
We could achieve none of this amazing service without the support that WE get. The Trussell Trust is truly amazing in the level and quality of support they provide. The Cornwall Community Foundation continues to provide grants without which our Foodbank could not operate. Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, The Co-op, Neighbourly, Arnold Clark and The Antony Estate have all provided vital support, for which we are immensely grateful. Our latest collaboration is with The Good Things Foundation who enable us to provide SIMs from Vodafone, Three, and O2.
Thank you for the hamper! Merry Christmas and a big thank to all at the Foodbank. you
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- Finance Report Jill Morton
Due to the very generous donations and grants that we have received the Foodbank had a net income of £26,273 this year.
We have been very lucky to become members of Fuelbank during the year; through Fuelbank we are able to get energy top-ups for clients who are on pre-payment meters. During the year we have submitted 361 applications for vouchers, 3 were cancelled, 5 rejected, 14 expired and 339 vouchers were redeemed by our clients. We have made payments to Fuelbank of £1,453 towards the cost of client top ups.
With the help of the generous grants that we received, we have also been able to help clients who are not on prepayment meters with their energy costs. We have processed 121 payments to energy companies to help our clients in this financial year, at a cost of over £7,000.
This year we have purchased items such as slow cookers, throws, thermal underwear, thermal socks etc. to help clients in crisis. Over £3,600 has been paid out, enabling us to help 59 households.
We are very lucky that food donations continue to come in regularly to the Foodbank and would like to thank the people of Saltash and the surrounding area for being so very generous. However, the demand for our services is ever increasing and this year we have found that we have had to purchase £1,000 worth more food than the previous year, we would not be able to do this without the generosity of the cash donations that we receive.
| rosity of the cash | donations that w |
|---|---|
| Name | Amount |
| Regular monthly donors | £ 4.5k |
| CAF | £ 7.7k |
| Other donations | £ 6.2k |
| Total | £18.4k |
Donations were received from the funeral of Bob McLean, one of our much valued Trustees who suddenly passed away. Other donations have been received from local Churches, Composite Integration Ltd, Cornish Giving Catalogue, Bishop Cornish Harvest Raffle, Landulph Festival Association, St Thomas Moore Southway, Hyrlian Ltd and many donations from individuals. We are very grateful for all donations, regardless of size, that help us to continue our work to help relieve poverty in Saltash and the surrounding area.
Rika Chanter (Foodbank Manager) and Jill Morton (Treasurer) collecting at the Co-op
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| Name | Amount |
|---|---|
| Acts 435 | £ 295 |
| Arnold Clark | £ 2,500 |
| Cornwall Community Foundation | £ 1,000 |
| Cornwall Community Foundation - Cost of Living Crisis | £ 5,000 |
| Cornwall Community Foundation - Christmas Fayre | £ 1,500 |
| Cornwall Community Foundation - Crisis Fund | £ 2,000 |
| Cornwall Council | £ 1,334 |
| Headley Trust | £10,000 |
| Mabbott Buller Trust | £ 1,000 |
| Neighbourly | £ 200 |
| Trussell Trust - Tesco | £ 1,517 |
| Trussell Trust | £ 5,000 |
| Total | £31,346 |
The Trustees have agreed that the reserve fund should enable the Foodbank to operate for a 12 month period. This reserve fund has been calculated at £12k. This reserve fund will give us the comfort of knowing that we are able to carry on our extremely valuable work in these increasingly challenging times.
The Trustees would like to thank Stephen Richards for examining our books and records and for his Report thereon. The Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 March 2023, the Balance Sheet as at 30 March 2023 and the notes to the accounts are set out below.
Thank so much for at this time, the food I you your help collected for us was a massive and much help very appreciated and the duvets have just been delivered to our house.
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LTA5H FOODB•14K £615PUZ £5iDIW £iL44QS1 39118 EJV YfifEIfiT1E IAL6 ii.LW 4 J. 11$7577 SAtTAS11 FOODWI 9W9V4 I5 55F.7 lJ5J56 157.71 IX74 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGIAND Af4D WALES Ind•p•ndent 03mlo•¢ repart on th¢ accounts Rwrtto th 1 34L 31 03 ioiJ 11s1s11 YAI thp*£ioT 13 CWo5 ¥itybody 17
- Saltash Foodbank Trustees 2022 2023
Richard Margetts (Chair)
Corina Clement (Secretary)
Jill Morton (Treasurer)
Rika Chanter (Manager)
Jackie O’Melia (Collections)
Kathryn Caves (Volunteers)
Sara Walker (Agencies)
Rev Di Burrows (Churches Together)
Darren Chapple
Karen Chapple
Charles Worth (Projects)
A kind donation from the Co-op when our stocks were running low!
A generous collection by Barratt Homes from the Treledan development.
Registered in England & Wales
Registered charity number 1157577
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