2022-09-30-accounts - St Albans And District Foodbank

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Trustees' Annual Report for the year ended 30 September 2022

Reference and Administrative Details

Charity name:

St Albans & District Foodbank CIO

Registered charity number:

1158917

Charity’s principal address:

c/o 5 Browning Road Harpenden Herts AL5 4TS

Trustees

During the period ending 30 September 2022 the following were trustees:


Name	First Elected	Re Elected	Resigned
John Mulholland	07/11/2014	15/09/2020
Robert Smalley	27/10/2016	15/09/2020
Janet Lailey	27/06/2017		08/05/2022
Beth Williams	19/09/2018	21/09/2021	08/05/2022
Mark Pontin	17/03/2020
Farrukh Shaikh	17/11/2020		18/07/2022
Rachel Hampstead	23/11/2021
Haydar Shawkat	08/06/2022
Mairead McKeever	08/06/2022

Professional Advisors


Independent Examiner	Bankers
Elizabeth Needham Needham Accountancy Ltd Berkeley House, Barnet Road London Colney, Herts AL2 1BG	CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent, ME19 4JQ

1. Structure, Governance and Management

1.1 Governing document

St Albans & District Foodbank is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The only voting members are its charity trustees. The trustees adopted a constitution on 9th September 2014 in accordance with the “ foundation model ” published by the Charity Commission. The St Albans & District Foodbank achieved registered charitable status on 20th October 2014 and its’ registered charity number is 1158917.

1.2 Trustee selection and management

The charity is governed by a board of trustees selected because they strongly endorse the charitable objectives of the organisation. When selecting trustees, the charity aims to ensure there is a broad range of relevant skills and knowledge, while also aiming to reflect a more diverse spread of backgrounds across the St Albans District to help with informed decision making. Trustees are appointed after interviews with existing trustees, and where possible, visits to the organisation, to ensure they understand its vision and values.

The trustees meet approximately every two months to review performance and monitor the achievement of objectives. The Treasurer presents a financial monitoring statement to each meeting so that trustees can review income and expenditure.

1.3 Related Organisations

The St Albans & District Foodbank is affiliated to the Trussell Trust, a charity based in Salisbury that assists churches and communities to open new foodbanks and supports existing foodbanks nationwide.

1.4 Management of risk

The trustees have adopted a range of policies in order to manage and minimise risk. These include policies covering inter alia, Health & Safety, Safeguarding and Lone Workers and a Risk Register is maintained to monitor compliance with these policies and other risks.

The Risk Register is regularly reviewed, updated and monitored at Trustee Board meetings.

The trustees have in place systems of internal control that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss. These include two signatories for all payments and a comprehensive insurance policy to ensure that insurable risks are covered.

2. Objectives, Aims and Activities

2.1 Charitable Objectives

The St Albans & District Foodbank has as its objective the prevention or relief of poverty primarily in St Albans District and surrounding areas, in particular but not exclusively by providing emergency food supplies to individuals in need and/or charities, or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty. Nothing in this constitution shall authorise an application of the property of the CIO for the purposes which are not charitable.

2.2 Aims

Our primary aim is to alleviate poverty through the provision of food parcels, including fresh food and items of personal care (e.g., toiletries and toothpaste) and household items (toilet rolls, cleaning and laundry materials) to those in crisis. We do this in partnership with local agencies who refer clients in crisis to us. By signposting people to care agencies, advice services and other support agencies we aim to seek resolutions to their immediate crises, which are resulting in a need to use the Foodbank. Anyone in need can be referred to the Foodbank, regardless of their race or creed.

2.3 Objectives for the period

The main objective was to continue operating the Foodbank in the St Albans District, to maintain a number of distribution points throughout the district and to build links with a broad range of local care agencies, such as Citizens Advice. These agencies are known as Referral Agencies and they can refer people in need of assistance to the foodbank.

2.4 Strategies for achieving the objectives.

Trustees adopted a series of strategies including:

Recruiting, training and maintaining a pool of volunteers;
Utilising warehouse premises to accommodate the administrative and distribution operations of the Foodbank;
Maintaining a number of distribution centres which clients can visit to discuss their problems and exchange their vouchers for food parcels;
Introducing energy voucher support to clients to help with fuel poverty;
Recruiting and maintaining an appropriate number of Referral Agencies;
Building up sufficient funds to (1) sustain the operation for at least the next twelve months and (2) to cover the costs of a warehouse lease for three years at a commercial rent of c£50,000pa.
Maintaining a working arrangement with organisations and charities who are also involved in the alleviation of poverty in St Albans and wider areas, eg The Vineyard Church, so that we can support them with any excess food stocks that we accumulate.

2.5 How the foodbank works

Donations of food are received from a number of sources:

Individuals;
Corporate organisations;
Schools and churches, particularly at Easter, Harvest Festival and Christmas times; and
Permanent collection points in local supermarkets.
Donations of non-perishable food are weighed, checked for “ best before ” dates, sorted and stored by food type.
Food parcels are prepared at the warehouse, weighed and taken by van to the distribution centres before each session.
Clients in food crisis are issued with a St Albans & District Foodbank voucher by a recognised Referral Agencies.
Clients bring their voucher to a foodbank distribution session where it is redeemed for an emergency parcel.
Wider support services are available at the distribution sessions.

The contents of emergency parcels are selected by reference to Trussell Trust guidelines that aim to give clients a nutritionally balanced diet, providing sufficient food for 3 days.

2.6 Public Benefit

The primary public benefit of the foodbank is the immediate relief of a financial crisis being experienced by an individual or family. This is mainly achieved by providing parcels of food which can be used to create nutritionally balanced meals for three days.

St Albans & District Foodbank relieves poverty, in particular hunger, but it also helps address the underlying causes by listening to clients’ needs and signposting them to additional support services that help address these issues. This assists in mitigating the difficulties arising from housing loss, mental health problems, family breakdown and other issues related to poverty.

During the Covid-19 crisis some of the charity’s ability to offer additional support, as outlined above, was significantly restricted due to the need to interact with all clients in a socially distanced manner. However, following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions we have been able to return to faceto-face interactions with our clients at the distribution centres and have moved towards offering professional advice and support services from, for example, Citizens Advice and mental health organisations.

3. Achievement and Performance

3.1 Summary of the period’s activities

On the 1[st] October 2021 the St Albans & District Foodbank received notice to vacate its warehouse premises in Coldharbour Lane, Harpenden, effective 12 November 2021. Thanks to assistance from many quarters, not least Cantay Estates, new premises were identified in Redbourn and a 30-month lease was completed with occupation granted in early November 2021. The move to Redbourn and the occupation of new premises has proven to be successful, impacting on how the Foodbank operates, the conditions under which volunteers work, the provision of office accommodation for staff and not least, security of tenure.

During the year we operated 7 distribution centres from which food parcels are handed to clients:

1.	Mondays	10:00 – 12:00	The Vineyard Church,7 Brick Knoll Park,St Albans
2.	Mondays	2:00 – 3:30pm	Redbourn Methodist Church,North Common,Redbourn
3	Tuesdays	1:00 - 3:00pm	Christ Church,High Oaks,St Albans
4	Wednesdays	12:30 – 2:30pm	Christadelphian Church Hall Abbotts Avenue St Albans
5	Thursdays	12:30 – 2:30pm	Hilldyke Community Centre, Hilldyke Road, Wheathampstead
6	Fridays	10:00 – 12:00	Caledon Community Centre, Caledon Road, London Colney
7	Fridays	1:00 – 3:00pm	Crabtree Church,Crabtree Lane,Harpenden

We continued to provide a home delivery service to help those who could not attend a distribution centre using our own volunteer drivers and drivers’ mates.

Throughout the year we have supplemented shortages of donations of specific items by purchases from wholesalers using our funds. Local organisations such as Round Table and Lions, Corporates, local companies and private individuals maintained their support through financial and product donations. Finally, Easter, Harvest Festival and Christmas collections from schools and churches provided much needed supplies to help us through the year as have generous food donations from donors.

During the 12 months of operation to 30th September 2022 we distributed 9,248 emergency parcels including 3,983 parcels to help children.

There was a wide range of reasons causing these people to seek help, the largest being low income. The full break down of reasons are illustrated below:

----- Start of picture text -----
2%
2%
1%
1%
4%
4%
Low Income
6%
Benefit Changes
Benefit Delays
3% Sickness
Debt
3% Other
Homeless
Child Holiday Meals
No recourse to public fu
Domestic Violence
Delayed Wages
73% Refused STBA
Chart should be read clockwise from 12 0’clock
Legend is in the same sequence
----- End of picture text -----

As mentioned above, during 2021-22 we provided 9,248 parcels compared to 10,211 in 2020-21. The chart below provides a breakdown of parcels provided for adults and children in each of the last five years.

Food parcels provided by year

----- Start of picture text -----
2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22
6000
5250
5,285 5,265
4500 4,926
3750 4,005 3,983
3,796
3000
2250
1500 1,891
1,526 1,542
1,312
750
0
Adults Children
----- End of picture text -----

3.2 Referral Agencies

The St Albans & District Foodbank provides food to people who come to us with a voucher issued by one of our Referral Agencies. These Agencies comprise professionals from organisations providing welfare and community support in the local area such as doctors, health visitors, social workers, Citizens Advice Bureau staff, schools, registered social landlords, local charities, the police and probation officers.

At the end of September 2022 there were 184 Referral Agencies “on our books”.

When these Agencies identify someone in crisis, they provide him/her with a foodbank voucher. The individual can obtain immediate assistance by bringing the voucher to one of our distribution centres and redeeming it for food. In some cases, individuals approach the foodbank directly. In such cases we normally seek to understand the individual’s circumstances and signpost opportunities for them to find support and then issue a voucher ourselves but suggest that in future the individual obtains a voucher from one of our Agencies. We do this so that we know the source of the individual’s crisis has been discussed with an appropriate organisation.

In the year to 30 September 2022, 3,658 vouchers were issued and exchanged for food at the foodbank compared with 3,200 in the previous year. Some 28.35% of all vouchers were issued to lone parent families.

3.3 Distribution of food

The table below summarises the sources and weight of food and other items provided to clients during the year. As shown, there was a net inflow of stock during the year.

Source/Destination	Incoming	Outgoing	Net
	kg	kg	kg
Donations received	76,094.9		76,094.9
Purchases	11,222.1		11,222.1
Distribution centres		57,131.3	-57,131.3
Home deliveries		5,710.6	-5,710.6
Emergency food boxes		63.0	-63.0
Other charities		1,076.3	-1,076.3
Non Trussell Trust Foodbanks		1,212.2	-1,212.2
Disposals out of date/damaged		1,407.7	-1,407.7
Other		37.4	-37.4
Totals	87,317	66,638.5	20,678.5

The provision of food to other charities and organisations is key to our charitable objective - the relief of poverty.

Such charities and organisations where provision of over 100kg was made include Azalea Women’s Refuge, Blue Cross, Communities 1[st] and Herts Welcomes Refugees,

There is also an important practical benefit in so doing: it enables the Foodbank to make use of excess food before it goes out of date thereby minimizing waste and adverse environmental impact.

3.4 Sources of food and other items

The food and other household items that the Foodbank distributed came from a variety of sources such as regular collections from permanent collection points in various supermarkets around the area, donations by schools, churches and individuals and one-off corporate donations. In addition, during and following the lockdown there were substantial donations from range of corporate donors.

The sources of the incoming stock comprised:

----- Start of picture text -----
13%
6% 30% Supermarkets
Individuals
Schools
8%
Community Groups
Charities
5% Corporates
4% 8% Churches
Purchases
Other Foodbanks
26%
Chart should be read clockwise from 12 0’clock
Legend is in the same sequence
----- End of picture text -----

3.5 Volunteers

This report refers to the important contribution made by funders, donors, and supporters across the community. However, the key people who have turned the St Albans & District Foodbank into a working organisation delivering a service to the local community are our 120+ volunteers. They have organised the warehouse, packed food parcels, collected and transported food, staffed the office and dealt with clients. We have been extremely fortunate that so many new volunteers stepped forward during the last year. Without their additional help we would have found it impossible to continue running an uninterrupted service.

The trustees are extremely grateful for the commitment of all volunteers and the expertise and help that they bring to the organisation.

3.6 Staff & Trustees

Rukia Augustine was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the St Albans & District Foodbank in February 2022 and has been active in widening our reach in the community, networking and setting up communication and other systems essential to the smooth operation of the Foodbank.

Penny Crosswell was employed as a part time Community Outreach Manager commencing in February 2021. Penny refreshed, updated and reinvigorated contacts with our Referral Agencies, assisted with grant applications and many of our day-to-day operations. Penny’s contract finished in June 2022 and the trustees are grateful for her contribution to the work of the Foodbank.

During the year, in line with the trustees’ strategy, a Client Wellbeing Coordinator, Sam Rice, was appointed, taking up the position in September 2022 This role is seen as key to helping clients find long term solutions to their needs, to avoid dependency on Foodbank provision and is complementary to the plan to facilitate third party specialist agencies such as Citizens Advice Bureau and mental health professional services being present at distribution hubs to aid the signposting of help for clients.

Additionally, trustees identified the need to appoint an Assistant Manager to help the CEO with her role and to free her up to focus on delivery of the board’s strategic objectives[1] .

During the year Beth Williams, Janet Lailey and Farrukh Shaikh stepped down from the board of trustees for personal reasons. The Trustees thank Beth, Janet and Farrukh for the valuable help they provided to the Foodbank during their terms of office.

Trustees were delighted that Haydar Shawkat, Rachel Hampstead and Mairead McKeever joined the board during the year and that Robert Smalley agreed to continue on the board and was duly reelected.

1 Oliver Harris was appointed Assistant Manager in February 2023

4. FINANCIAL REVIEW

4.1 Principal funding sources

Income by Type

Individuals		176,638
Corporates		16,095
Churches and other religious organisations		338
Charitable organisations		1,500
Crowdfunding		145
Interest received		1,485
Unrestricted income		196,201
Trussell Trust Grant - Financial Inclusion Project		30,000
St Albans District Council		9,000
Individual		640
Restricted income		39,640

Total income		235,841

4.2 Reserves policy

The trustees maintain a reserves policy that recognises the fact that the charity has no trading operations or income and is thus wholly dependent on donations to maintain its operations. Further, without a warehouse in which to receive, sort, store and then distribute donations as food parcels, the Foodbank could not operate.

The year started with the Foodbank operating from premises in Harpenden, kindly provided by the Jarvis group pending the outcome of its appeal to gain planning permission to redevelop the premises in which the Foodbank operated.

Jarvis was successful in its appeal and the Foodbank was placed under notice to quit within a matter of weeks, as had been agreed in the lease with Jarvis.

Through good fortune we were introduced to Cantay Estates who are the freeholders of an industrial unit in Redbourn where the current tenant wished to end its lease.

With pro bono help from solicitors and surveyors we were able to negotiate a 2.5-year lease with Cantay Estates on very favourable terms. We are truly indebted to them for their generosity.

In November 2021 we moved to these new premises and during 2022 we installed a cold room facility to assist in the storage of fresh fruit and vegetables, bread and eggs.

The new premises have provided much needed security of tenure, a bright welcoming place for volunteers and office accommodation for staff and visitors.

Whilst we enjoy advantageous terms on our lease, trustees recognise that reserves of £150,000 are required to meet the costs of equivalent accommodation over a 3 year term on cessation of the current lease. In addition, the running costs of the Foodbank are circa £180,000[2] per annum and this too is taken into account in the reserves held as reviewed and agreed by the Board annually.

4.3 Investment policy and objectives

The St Albans & District Foodbank does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer term investments. The Foodbank has therefore adopted a risk averse strategy for the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash with banks noting the levels of protection afforded via the FSCS.

Funds surplus to day-to-day activities and long-term provision of warehouse space will instead be used to develop the services and assistance that can be offered to clients both directly and in conjunction with third party specialist agencies.

2 2022/2023 first 7 months

5. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

Trustees subscribe to and support the Trussell Trust’s vision of the need to end foodbanks in the UK.

During the year we maintained and expanded our relationship with Citizens Advice Bureau to allow clients to receive signposting to specialist agencies to help with issues such as debt management, benefits and mental health.

Trustees recognise that more needs to be done to assist clients and the following strategy has been agreed:

Partner with suitable agencies to improve signposting
Review District wide needs to ensure we provide help to all communities
Instigate an integrated communication plan to better inform our volunteers, stakeholders and supporters of our vision, needs and aspirations
Provide further training for volunteers
Expand existing schools liaison projects
Consider the need to open a Saturday distribution centre
Partner with other foodbanks to share best practice and offer help when appropriate
Enhance the food offering with fresh produce
Investigate a charity forum with other local charities supporting clients in poverty and those who are homeless.

Whilst not yet formally adopted as a strategic aim, trustees are also researching the feasibility of a Hub concept to bring together complimentary offerings so that clients may receive advice and help under one roof.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees:

Mark Pontin

Date: 9th June 2023

	Charity Name	Charity Name	Charity Name	Registered No.	Registered No.
	St Albans and District Foodbank			1158917
	Receipts and Payments Accounts					CC16a
	For the period	Period start date		Period end date
	from	10/01/2021	To		30/9/2022
Section A: Receipts and Payments
	Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Endowment funds		Total funds	Last year
	to the nearest£	to the nearest £	to the nearest £		to the nearest £	to the nearest£
A1 Receipts
Donations and Other income	196,201	640	-		196,841	202,007
SADC Grant - Household Support	-	9,000	-		9,000	0
Trussell Grant - Financial Inclusion Project	-	30,000	-		30,000	0
HFC Receipts		-	-		-	0
Trussell Trust Strategic Grant - Warehouse		-			-	15,000
DEFRA Grant	-	-	-		-	10,000
Localgiving Matched Funding Grant		-	-		-	5,381
HCC Receipts	-	-	-		-	2,500

*Subtotal*	196,201	39,640	0		235,841	234,888

A2 Asset and Investment Sales
	-	-	-		-	0

*Subtotal*	0	0	0		0	0

*Total receipts*	196,201	39,640	0		235,841	234,888

A3 Payments
Stationery	1,966	-			1,966	614
General	4,868	-			4,868	3,804
Fundraising, Entertainment and Advertising	3,783	-			3,783	295
Telecommunications	995	-			995	331
Supplies for Clients	17,738	2,059			19,797	18,724
SADC Grant - Household Support	-	9,000			9,000	-
Project		7,500			7,500
HCF Disbursements	-	-			-	458
Trussell Trust Strategic Grant - Warehouse		22,302			22,302	-
Warehouse Maintenance	3,040	-			3,040	1,245
Warehouse Service Charges	1,368	-			1,368	-
Warehouse Utilities	2,166	-			2,166	-
Business Rates	-	-			-	1,983
Insurance	2,002	-			2,002	1,187
Travel and Transport	3,681	-			3,681	3,972
Staff Expenses	1,677				1,677	-
Employment Costs	48,691	-			48,691	32,347
Bank Charges	180	-			180	166
*Subtotal*	92,153	40,861	0		133,014	65,126
A4 Asset and Investment Purchases
Equipment	4,208	0			4,208	1,000
Van contribution					0
*Subtotal*	4,208	0	0		4,208	1,000
*Total Payments*	96,361	40,861	0		137,222	66,126
*Net of receipts/(payments)*	99,840	(1,221)	0		98,619	168,762
A5 Transfers between funds	0	0	0		0	0
A6 Cash funds last year end	332,249	18,143	0		350,392	181,630
*Cash funds this year end*	432,089	16,922	0		449,011	350,392


Section B: Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the end of the Period
Categories	Details	Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Restricted funds
		to nearest£	to nearest£	to nearest£
B1 Cash funds	Current and Deposit Accounts	432,089	16,922	18,143
	*Total cash funds*	432,089	16,922	18,143
	(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))	OK	OK	OK
		Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Endowment funds
	Details	to nearest£	to nearest£	to nearest£
B2 Other monetary assets






	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
B3 Investment assets





	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use	Phone	restricted	0
	Van	restricted / eneral	0
	Warehouse equipment	g restricted	0
	Foodbank branch equipment	restricted	0
	IT and computing equipment	restricted	0

	Details	Fund to which liability relates	Amount due (optional)	When due (optional)
B5 Liabilities





Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees	Signature	Print Name		Date of approval
		Haydar Shawkat		9/06/2023

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Charity Name St Albans and District Foodbank CIO	Charity Name St Albans and District Foodbank CIO	Charity Name St Albans and District Foodbank CIO

30thSeptember 2022	Charity no (if any)	1158917

13 - 14 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 30thSeptember 2022. As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Date: 21/06/2023

Signed: Name: Elizabeth Needham Relevant professional FFA (Institute of Financial Accountants) qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: Needham Accountancy Ltd

Oct 2018

IER

Berkeley House, Barnet Road

London Colney, Herts AL2 1BG

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of None any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

Oct 2018

IER