KINGSBRIDGE AREA FOODBANK
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Tuesday 24 September 2024
REPORT FROM THE CHAIR
Foodbank activities have continued wrthout any break sino the Covid Pandemic triggered
a huge growth in the number of households comirKJ to us for support. Client numbers
have continued to grow, as the cost of living crisis has struck at so many people's lives.
The reasons for people coming to us are many and varied.
At the foodbank our first response to someone asking for help is to make sure that they
have at least an emergency food parcel. We don't judge anyone, and as the on-going
financial crisis continues to erode people's abilty to support themselves independently, our
client base evolves to reflect that. More and more clients are being referred to us by other
agencies acts've in society, and equally overwhelmed.
en I see anything written in the media about 'foodbanks' I'm struck by the huge variety
of set-ups that exist in different parts of the country, each reflecting the needs of rts own
community. Kingsbridge Foodbank is a member of IFAN - the Independent Food Aid
Nelwork. We do not come under the auspices of the Ttussell Trust, which is the foodbank
with the highest profile in the media. When members of the public talk to us about the
Kingsbridge Area Foodbank they are amazed at the complexity of our operations, often
taken aback at the wide gaps in the communty around us, and inevitably impressed at the
geographic area we support.
Clients still don't come to the foodbank to col]ect their food as there are simply too many
households. Volunteers continue to pack bags daily, ready for delivery. Volunteer drivers
take ft)Ixl not only to people living in Kingsbridge and its immediate area, but cover an
area from South Brent to Modbury, Salcombe. Portlemouth. Stoke Fleming, Blackavrton,
East Allington, and many pla￿$ in betw￿n. many people cannot afford the fuel, bus fare,
or manage the distan￿ with shopping bags.
Increasingly the conversakn'on seems to revolve around how to access foodbanks. and a
general expectation that Ihe fcM)dbank will help,. This should not be hc)w the modem
world works.
In my time at the foodbank I have met people whose capacity for caring has completely
blown me away. I'll happity tell you that my inclination to make everything work well is the
reason I'm at the foodbank: l enjoy organising the volunteers, making sure there are
always the people needed to keep the wheels tuming and the clients supported.
CLIENTS
Our clients don'l come to the foodbank because they are scroungers. It's very easy to say
'they should do betterf. Some may indeed be incompetent. or have managed their lives
'badly' {who are we to judge what that means?). but far more are victims of circumstances
beyond their control. Lack of income. lack of support from those who are supposed, (or
are paid) to ca￿, heatth crises that mean they have lost income and mobility.
To consider th8t 'poverty is 8 resutt of the mordl failures of poor people., is an
interesting suggestion. It is also the ￿sU11 of a moral failure of those in power, and
those who have the capacty to recognise that the￿ M'll always be people who fall,

Kingsbridge Area Foodbank- AGM SeFrt
and that rf we care at all al)out othe￿, we can so easily make their lives a little bit
easier.
(source unknown)
All clients will need a referral at some point. Some people do self-refer- and asking for
help is one of the most difficult things to do- but after two food pa￿lS they will need to
find a referral from one of our parlner agenues. Members of the public sometimes tell me
about a friend or neighbour that they are COn￿rned about. asking how that person can get
a referral.
Paula is, I think, the kindest person you will ever meet. Listening to her on the phone
sometimes, or greeting a client at the door. is amazing. There seems to be no limit to her
wish to help them, making many of them feel like members of the family, grving them a
Chan￿ to relax knowing Ihat their immediate problems about food. and many other issues
are now in the hands of people who care.
CLIENT COORDINATOR
The current numbers we support are 187 households, comprising 263 aduFts and 192
children, a total of 455 people. The numbers remain pretty stable throughout the different
seasons. PF explained that she is currently in the PrO￿S of sending out letters requiring
clients to set out their income and expenditure to detennine whether they still require the
services of KFB. The responses are coming back and there was some expectation that
some clients would drop off the list, but they are mainly coming back still requiring
assistan￿.
Reference was made to South Dartmoor Communty Energy, which assists people to seek
help with paying their utilittes bills. This includes helping them app￿ to the welfare funds of
the utility companies.
VOLUNTEERS
NONE of our volunteers or Trustees are paid and none of our drivers claim their fuel
expenses. Our admintstrative costs are minimal - apart from electricity, telephones,
stationery, keeping van on the road and small office costs- all donations are used for client
support.
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Foodbank is like a grand machine, every job linked to the next. We have over 100
volunteers, all giving their time freely. At the present time the foodbank has."
Delivery drivers". 50+ regularly active volunteers. sorne have a 'regular run, and
are the vital link between many of the clients and the foodbank, and some who
are casual 'back-up' drivers. grabbing a Chan￿ from their busy lives to stand
in. often at short noti￿.
In-house.. another 60 in-house volunteers doing the myriad tasks generated daily.
Trustees and fund-raising team. another 12 volunteers.
14 year old students vrforking towards their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award -
hour a week for 13 weeks, after school. As the end of the day is usually dark and
damp, and most interesting jobs have been done earlier, we try to make life a bit
more interesting for them by inviting them to help wth Saturday morning bulk
deliveries from Mo￿lsOnS, doing a few hours during school holidays, help with
Christmas fair and other fund-raising activities, packing Christmas pre,
ents etc.

Kingsbridge Area Foodbank- AGM Sept
Another group is the 17118 year old students undertaking an hour a week,
'Enrichment programme,, or students on 'Work Experience,, who spend a full week
with us in July, giving them a Chan￿ to participate in, and understand much of the
key functions of, the foodbank.
Others who have stepped up to help, with any number of jobs: Roger, Tom and
Jason, key team on collection and delivery of fumiture items for distribution to
struggling clients, Savage Scaffolding, Tom the pig farmer. and Annette. local
bus driver, who is always ready to slep in and help driving and delFvering when
she's not in work! And regular volunteers who bring their visiting family and friends
for a 'day at the foodbank'l
The ages, attitudes. abilities of volunteers cover a wide range. VolunteerirKJ at the bank
provides a 80cial environment which many volunteers value as support in their own lives.

Kingsbridge Area Foodbank- AGM Sept
GENERAL INFORMA TION for new volunteers
Food is packed and deliVe￿d every day few clients come to the bank in person.
In-house jobs involve, as well as packing bags. stschng shelves. breaking bulk
(bacon, sausages, cheese. sugar, ri￿, etc etc). making coffee, emptying bins. and so
on. Most volunteers stay for a few hours. maybe 0930 till 1200, maybe 1300 - 1600,
some work longer shifts, say 1000 to 1430. There are always jobs to do, many of them
unglamorousl
Deliveries go out at the same dayrtime each week so that Cl￿nts know when to expect
delivery. Regular drivers take the same runls every week, some doing a single run, others
two or even three runs. Each run consists of betW￿n 4 and 6 households - you can
imagine how much room a car needs for at least three bags for each household!
Households can be single. couples. families and family plus- maybe 7 children in a
combined household. l also have a list of stand in. drivets who take on deliveries when
the regular drivers are absent. The number of clients which we support has grown over
the last three years. due to Covid, and the current economic climate, which is pushing
more people to ask for help - we now have over 175 households. (420+ individuals) on
our books.
In-between mles."
One is shoppingl Every day reqUI￿S some specific shopping to be done, whiGh is
usually best done befv￿en 0830 and 1030. before shops get busy, or during the
afternoon. This can require specific 'deli' items and items for those wrth special
dietary needs.. lactose free, gluten fr￿. diabetic, veganlvegetarian.
Another is oursupemiarket sweep which has to be done a few times a week
Gollecting the donations from Morrisons and Tesco.
And another is general tidying up as we tend to tske in white goods and basic
fumiture for needy clients, and the warehouse can get a bit overwhelmed.
Confidentiality in all roles is essential as we encountergenuine poverty. sadness,
desperation, loss, fear. mental health issues, as well as those who've lost employment and
are waiting for benefits assessments to come through. Some clients have b￿n on the
books for a very long time, others may only be with us for a few W￿kS until things get
sorted out. The bottom line is that we exist to provide food, and it's not our place to
question how come people need us. We do ask for new clients to gel a referral from a
formal outside agency, which might be GP, social Seprfl￿S, Citi'zens Advice, who are
expected to explain the reasons for referrals. But we never tum anyone away while they're
getting the referral. Some clienls are referred lo us as safeguarding concerns,
vulnerabilty. financial cxisis.

Kingsbridge Area Foodbank- AGM Serrt
ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Food Sources
Purchases:
Paula places regular orders to Morrison's warehouse for basic staples. Jad(ie shops
regularly for those fresh items required for clients who have special dietary needs, and
Gerrie places daily orders with Total Produce and Caterfood for fresh fruit and veg, bread,
milk, eggs, cheese etc. We have also been able to purchase Parsley Box ready meals which
keep for months and can be stored without fridge or freezer.
Donknons:
Tesco and Morrisons Community Liaison staff. Cathy and Amanda, put foodstuffs and
other items that we need into the bags. vthich their customers are then able to purchase
and donate. At Harvest time local schools and churches donated considerable quantities
of food. At Christmas the Tesco Fare Share initiattve last year provided 80 crates of
foodstuffs for Christmas Hampers, which were distributed to every household. In the
tradition of our foodbank Christmas deliveries. we have made it a focus to give grfts of
warm clothing and blankets, much of this purchased through the generosty of individual
donors. We also sometimes collect from Lidl and M&S.
The Bank the food app is the latest addition to our financial (donations) armoury. A search
for this on Google will take you to a national website where you tell them where your local
foodbank is and it will come up with the latest list of rtems most required by us; (available
on IOS and android).
In addition, every week we continue to re￿1Ve 150 loaves of bread donated to us by
Warburtons bakers,. Salcombe Bakehouse also donate surplus breads; many village
shop8 have collection points, and someone from the village brings us those donations
weekly. At the moment we are re￿Iving the freshest, surplus eggs. fruit and veg grown by
members of the public produced in gardens and allotments.

Kingsbridge Area Foodbank- AGM Sept
Catering size quantities of food supplies are passed on to Peter and Heather who
prepare 'home-cooked' meals, de&8erts and soups. Under Natasha's Law, all food thal we
send out has to have full details of ingredients. an additional task and cost for our admin.
THERE'S MORE - so much MO￿ to the foodbank.
Of all of us involved in the work of the foodbank, Gerrie. who I refer to as the Kingsbridge
4th emergency service. will go above and beyond food issues. If she seems to spend a lot
of time in her office. or talking to people, she is invariably adding to the store of valuable
informalion that she keeps in her head. If she doesn't immediately know the answer to
problem, she does know how to find it, will get rt for you and as far as is in her capacity she
will move your life on.
FINANCE
Fundraising group
In October 2023 foodbank gained the services of a dynamic, skilled group of experienced
fundraisers, Alan, Harriet. Sarah and Sofia, whose first task was to identfy what was
needed for them to be as productive as possible. They have a direct link to Trustees to
ensure they are always working with the most uP-t￿late information when making bids.
Their work is challenging and time consuming and we're extremely grateful to them for all
their efforts on behalf of foodbank.
Throughout the year trustees have been kept infomed of the income and
expenditure of the Charity with regular monthly meetings.
I took over as Treasurer in February this year and would like to thank Kayleigh the previous
Treasurer for keeping the accounts up to date. There was a slight delay in my takeover as it
took a while to get the ne￿SSary permissions from the bank to do payments. My roport for
this year is based on the actual figures.
The organisation has gone from a surplus of £46k to a deficit of £30k, a differenpA of
£76k. Income has fallen from 332k to 258k which is down by 22% (£74K).
Expenditure - cost of activities has decreased in line with the reduction of turnover. The
Foodbank have also found ways to redu￿ costs by buying more efficiently.
This year we have had EDF electricity debt to pay off which has been done.
Reserves..
As at the year end the Reserves account stO(Ml at £51.153.42. Throughout the year the
Trustees have explored options of holding these monies in a higher interest account,
however this has not possible to achieve. Wth donations being lower we have had to use
some funds from this account to cover the running costs.
A NEW HOME
The Avon Centre has been our home Sin￿ September 2020. a situation in which we have
been incredibly fortunate. Inevitably. this is now coming to an end and the foodbank has
begun the search for a new home. Gerrie and a team of significant folk have been in initial
conversations about where we go next.

CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND ANO WALES
Independent examinerfs report on th8
accounts
Section A
Independent Examiner's Report
Roport to the trustees
K IhJGS&£J 264 fcD[J8A￿j <
On accounts for the year
ended
03J
Charity no
(If any)
Set oul on pag8S
Tk)O
I repcrt to the tru*ees C￿ my examinath)n of the accounts of the above
¢lwity (Ihe Trusf) for lh8 y8¥ ended
Re8ponslbllltlo8 and
ba818 of report
As the clwity's tru*5. Y￿ W8 r￿N￿1b18 for th8 preparatlon of the
acc￿nts n with the wuirements of the Charthes Act 2011
(Ihe Acr).
I rewt Fn respect of my 8xaminatN)n of the Tmsvs accounts carrbj out
urKler sectic￿ 145 of the 2011 Act arKI in ¢arryirvJ wt my examination, I
have follthv￿l dl th8 a￿lCabI9 DireLtkMs gN8n by the Charlty COMMIS￿On
urthr sectth 1495Mb) of the Act
Independant tthe ¢lkgrity's wss wKcYne exceed&J £250,(W and l qualified to
examlnorfs statsment undertak8 th8 examIna￿n by Lpir¥J a qualrfth member of [Insert name of
ap￿8b￿ tthyll. Delete [ ] if rKrt appficat4e.
I have ¢omW&J my examination. l ¢L￿fIn￿ that ￿ material matters have
come to my attent#)n in Conn￿lI)n wlth Ihe examinakn (0￿r than that
disclosed beltrdy ") which gives me cause to believe that in. any material
the acccwntir@ wLYds were not kept in accordance wth section 130
of the Charities Act. or
th8 acccwnts dKI r#)t accord with the accounting recorcis; or
the accounts dd not C(￿n￿Y wilh the apr41cab￿ requlr6ments
oonceming the fonn arKI Gmtent of accounts oul In the CharMle5
(Accounts arKI R8Wts) 2(J)8 other than any r4uir8ment
that accounts give a Inj8 fairf vi*¢i which is not a matt8r
ons#Jer8d as part of an Indep￿ examinatNJn.
I have Th) cThKems have come across rb) other matt8rs in Con￿ctIc￿L
with the examinati(￿ to which attenti￿ th￿Id be drawn in this report in
(xder to enable a pr￿r urthSt￿J￿J of the accwnts to be raach￿.
' Pkase delete the wC￿S in the brackets Kthey do not apply.
Slgned:
Relovant professional
quallfication(s) or body
(K any):
IER
Oct 2018

Address:
I I
4I5r.
Section B
Disclosure
Only com￿ete rf the examiner needs to hMJhlight material matters of concem
(see CC32, ItThlyndent examination of charity ￿c(NJnts. directions and
guidwKe f(Y eXan￿￿￿).
Glve here brief detalls of
any items that the
examlner wlshes to
dlsclose.
IER
Oct 2018

Flnanclal R•ptsrt
1 2023 to31 2024
Donations from
Fund RaWng
rxants
¢Troan￿a￿Qn Donaotyw
Unwotm Irwrr
TOW 11￿¢
116.135.17
9.778.84
lo2,505.￿*
29.150.47
785.29
163.837.78
2.301.09
149,304.50
12.150.00
4,291.41
ChrL8tmas HampEfs & Gffts
l*nt Support-Accomm¢)J81
Cl*nl Support-Anlm81
C¥&nl Support- Elec & Gu TopuF4
c￿nI Support. Food •ryl Gor•Js
CNenl Support- Gift%
cllent Support- Medic
Cllont Support- otmr
CIN8nt Support. Tran5POrt
Ik8nt Supwrt- Uniform
HolIdayActlv￿ell arnj For*J IFWFJ
Tot•1 ¢o•t of ActlvlW••
15f.d6
3.81&46
4.59127
249.830 44
5,721.12
.210.37
223.89D.28
15.63
6.383.98
5,389.32
411.4S
14,389.22
In
rM•P
21
217.20
Oth•r In¢wM
Interest
T+Jtsl Olhr Inc
145.57
£146.07
£23.19
£2$.19
L••• Op•r¥Ung Exp•M
ounlancy Fe88
7e8 25
222.
Bank Fe•s
Bu8ineB8 MI*•
8niNJ
El•¢trfGIty Suppty Avon C•ttty• Lknblllty Unpbd t￿-
Cllenl Swpm. Gn•
Fundralslng
Equlprnonl
Fu•1 (Vehldal
In&uranc•
IT Solfy¥•ro •nd cornUm￿le1
Llgni. PU￿r, HoatlThJ
Pac*aglrvJ
Postage. Frvlght & Courfer
Prlntlno & Slallonwy
Rent
Rapair8 & kl•lntsMnc•
Subscrfplions
T￿1￿h￿r&• & tnl•rpl•t
2.40
22517
7,300.81
6,455.34
3,803.85
126.67
848.28
878.50
78.27
13.655.87
451.99
2,717.65
2.417.2S
552.72
372.15
304.82
943.27
92,94
2,759.51
992.57
285.99
480.00
2,147.63
199.60
614.3e
Vahlck Colts fvell
Volunieer M8818
Totsl O rltl Ex
505.$8
349.03
Elect￿cIty 8ypply Avon ¢•ntr• LFablMty Ury•kl
Clo•lng Ro¥•rv• Alc
¢108lng Tro•8uY•rAJC
.E3.603.65
£61,1fj3.42
£4327.97
7,300.61
£14820.19
£09,804.41
£416.66
£TI.775.SS
£H176.
Z?1 lilly
¢halrn