Chair of Trustees: Nigel Currey Treasurer: David Busfield Co-ordinator: Cheryl Whitton
Annual report 1[st] April 2021 – 31[st] March 2022
Created by Cheryl Whitton – Project Coordinator
Aim : To provide food parcels for people in short-term food crisis. To end hunger and poverty in our community.
Our mission : By working and liaising with other Voluntary Services and Agencies to provide practical help with dignity whilst challenging injustice.
1,258 emergency food parcels were provided to local people from April 2021 to March 2022. These parcels provided food for 1961 adults and 1105 children making 3,066 people receiving food for a minimum of three days or at least 27,594 individual meals.
We have experienced fluctuating need again over the last twelve months. Donations both financial and physical have continued to be high, with the regular ebb and flow of the year. As a Foodbank we have worked closely with the local AVS, and they have become a permanent referrer and distributor
of food parcels to clients who are unable to access our service during our opening hours. We have continued to forge good relationships with the major supermarkets within the town and
operate a rota ensuring prompt collection from the numerous donation points.
We have maintained and grown fantastic partnership with local businesses - like for example Greencore, Westmill and British Gypsum, all of whom have provided us with regular donations of food and some financial contributions,
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The financial contributions have allowed us to create a welcoming space for clients to discuss their needs and possible further support requirements. A private space for those who become upset, overwhelmed, or need a little extra privacy has been created.
We have established a well-run warehouse, implementing a process document that all volunteers receive. This has ensured a more streamlined way of working and a continuity of practice amongst volunteers. A separate self-storage unit for longer dated goods has continued in operation and there is a well-managed system of goods in and out of stores.
One of the areas we are most proud of is our ‘Help Yourself Area’. In addition to pre-packed parcels, clients can select additional items, toiletries, cleaning products, period products, fresh bread and
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fruit and vegetables. This allows people to make choices and enhances self-esteem.
As well as providing food to those in food crisis we continue to provide education and information to groups and schools. Visiting schools to talk about foodbanks, why people need them and how, is an essential part of what we do. Breaking stigma and letting
children know that they are not alone if they are experiencing food poverty at home. It also helps to raise awareness and encourage compassionate citizenship. We began to develop tools to help us in this process including our ‘Food Superheroes’.
The figures below show that a significant proportion of our service users are single people and 140 people that we supported were homeless (including sofa surfers). Eight of this number were children which is a really worrying thought. Additionally,109 people came to us as they were/are experiencing domestic abuse, 68 of these were children. Overall, the main reason for need was low income, with people telling us that they just had more going out than coming in. Other than that, the other main reasons for need benefit changes and delays. Our main client group are in the 25 – 64yrs group but we have also given food to over 1,100 children.
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Crisis type Vouchers Adult Child Total
76 123 77 200
Benefit changes
86 139 50 189
Benefit delays
Child holiday meals 12 14 31 45
Debt 76 112 69 181
Delayed wages 9 12 11 23
Domestic violence 31 41 68 109
Homelessness 100 132 8 140
Low Income 741 1198 656 1884
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No Recourse to public funds 10 10 2 12
Other 45 72 62 134
Refused STBA 2 3 1 4
Sickness 70 105 70 175
Total 1258 1961 1105 3066
Family size Vouchers processed
Couple 240
Family 199
Other 111
Single 453
Single parent 253
Total 1258
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Ages of people listed as part of a household on vouchers fulfilled.
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Age group
Adult (17-24yrs) 297
Adult (25-64yrs) 1591
Adult (Over 65yrs) 73
Adult (Age unknown) 0
Children (0-4yrs) 339
Children (5-11yrs) 456
Children12-16yrs) 304
Children (Age unknown) 6
Total 3066
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Report of Chair of Trustees – Nigel Currey
The work of Selby & District Foodbank continued to be impacted during the year by the effect of Covid, although the effects of this this had greatly lessened by the financial year end. I had the overwhelming impression that volunteers had missed not being able to fully interact with clients during the restrictions. The pop-up foodbanks established during Covid 19 closed and provision of food resources from Local Authorities ceased. Our band of volunteers continue to willingly give their time and without them Foodbank operation would be impossible.
Following the signing of a 5-year lease with Selby Town Council for use of the ground floor of 1811 building, the volunteer Management Team
working with our Co-ordinator Cheryl carried out some internal modifications which has made our centre of operation a
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welcoming space, attractive to enter and within the limitations of available space a good working environment in which to volunteer, whether that be for storage and packing of food, or client welcome and interaction.
On behalf of the Trustees, I am very grateful for the efforts that Cheryl and other volunteers, particularly our small Management Team put into transforming our new HQ at 1811 into a building which we hope is welcoming to our clients and which, as far as is practicable, puts them at ease. Some of Cheryl’s photographs illustrate this.
Our previous HQ at 30 New Lane Selby was cleared in early 2022 having been only used for storage since our move into 1811 building. Our only other building is a self-storage unit which is maintained for longer dated food.
Our funds continued to build during the year. The cost of transforming our new HQ were substantially less than at first envisaged, particularly as we realised by trialling differing arrangements for some time that we could work within the existing floor layout and did not have to move and replace internal partitions.
As Trustees we feel our financial position enables us to be prepared for the inevitable growth in demand on Foodbanks. We face the after effect of Covid, Brexit and the effect on the UK economy of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
With those unknowns, there will be a need to purchase more food and the possibility of expanding our service with other Agencies to reduce where possible Foodbank dependency, Trustees are comfortable at the present time to build up some reserves for future years.
It feels strange to say that I am proud of what Foodbank has achieved this year, bearing in mind that none of us would wish it to be functioning. Our volunteers are a wonderful group, they and our Management Team working with Cheryl have continued to, provide a much needed service. This has not been to just provide basic needs but trying to ensure that clients are put at ease and given extra help where practicable.
Finally, I have been particularly grateful for Cheryl’s enthusiasm and direction as Co-ordinator at Foodbank during the year.
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Nigel Currey
SELBY FOODBANK Balance Statement 01.04.2021 - 31.03.2022 OPENING BALANCE 01.04.2021 93714.53 INCOME Donations- general Fund Raising Reserved Donations Grants Standing Orders Trussdl Trust Refunds 26814.04 0.00 0.00 1237.50 9613.00 2449.92 870.66 40986.12 134699.66 COMMITTED EXPENDITURE Trussell Trust Fee Printing & Stationery Supemiarket Supplies Mobile Topup Store Rentsl Water & SErage Electricity LandlinelBroadband ACTS 435 expenses Stsff wages, pension & Nl Selby Self Storage Miscellaneous 0.00 129.07 649.07 120.00 4050.00 24.96 558.79 825.40 150.00 13042.32 3015.74 9854.65 TOTAL COMMirrED EXPENDITURE £ 32420.00 TOTAL £ 102279.66 ASSET to dats Payment Selby DC, waste aleC"0n 2022-23 325.82 CLOSING BANK BALANCE £ 10227 There were no other assets or liabilities as at either 31st M March 2021 or 31st March 2022 Statement prepared by.. DavKI Busfdd (Treasurer) E4JJ