Larne foodbafik ANNUAL Trustees Report 2023 Our Vision Is to work towards an end to food poverty Larne Foodbank ,Our Mission Is to partner with local communities to help those who are experiencing food poverty Who we are Larne Foodbank is a non-denominational Christian outreach registered charity operating under the auspices of the Trussell Trust which has several hundred foodbanks throughout the United Kingdom. Objectives To collect, sort and store donations of long-life food and toiletries Larne Foodbank is supported by many churches, organisations, groups and individuals in and around Larne To provide a three day supply of food to individuals or families in crisis We supply a 3 day pack of nutritionally balanced food items as well as toiletries to people in crisis. To signpost possible longer term solutions or support for clients Lame foodb Annual Report t ustees June 202 This page is intentionally blank Annual Report t ustees Jun 23 The Larne Foodbank, its Trustees, Management Committee, administrative team and some 60 plus volunteer workers have been meeting the needs of those suffering f¢X)d poverty within our community in the Larne Area since March 2013. In the ten years of operation, we have provided 3 days, emergency food and other essential items to 13,545 individuals., 8,844 adults and 4,701 children. This report covers the period from 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023. 1:Re ort to the Trustees from LFB Chair As the new Chairperson of Larne Foodbank I would like to say what a privilege it is to be working with such dedicated and professional people. I know I have 'big boots. to fill after Joan Erwin has stepped down as Chairperson, however I will endeavour to give of my best and work closely with everyone who is involved in what I believe is an extremely well run organisation. erson Lorraine McLearnon: Although the costs of running Larne Foodbank continues to rise and we are suffering from a cost of living crisis, the people of Larne continue to dig deep and give generously to those most in need. This is extremely heartening and demonstrates the true goodness that runs through the people of our town. Referrals to Lame Foodbank continue to rise for those who encounter food poverty and seeking a food parcel from us. Following analysis of our records it has been identified that there has been a significant rise in first times users. For some, coming to the food bank can be a very daunting experience, especially for the first time. However, our volunteers offer a warm, welcoming. confidential, safe place where people can talk freely about their situations, in the knowledge that they will be treated with empathy and compassion. As part of our setwice, our volunteers take the time to get to know the needs of those attending, signposting them to other agencies who are in a position to help them further. To ensure that we were offering the best service to meet the needs of our community and to foster good working relationships with other agencies, Larne Foodbank facilitated and chaired a meeting in Lame Town Hall with representatives from community groups, councils, churches, schools and local government. This was in line with Alex Munro, our late esteemed colleague's. business plan of'changing minds, changing community and changing policy, together for change,. Following the success of this meeting, I would recommend that these cross-community forums be held annually. Going forward we will endeavour to liaise with our partner agencies to draw up formal arrangements for this. At the end of 2022 we surveyed 37 service users with the purpose of as￿rtainIng how they viewed their experien￿., from the point of referral to their arrival at the Foodbank The overall response was positive - not least the location of the Foodbank. This was a useful exercise and we plan to do further surveys. In the run-up to Christmas. and in partnership with various referral agencies, notably, CAP {Christians Against Poverty) and Equality Period, we were able to secure the use of the sports hall (free of charge) in Larne Leisure Centre for two days, where our volunteers packed and delivered hampers to 252 families. The hampers contained basic food items and toiletries. along with the usual Christmas goodies and treats - again donated by the generous people of Larne. During school holidays we continued our'schools Out, programme. which offered assistance to those families whose children re￿1ve free school meals. We also provided some of their breakfast clubs with cereal and juice. Due to some volunteers stepping down for various personal reasons, the Foodbank Core Team, Committee and Trustees have been looking at how we can restructure the overall management to ensure that the workload is spread evenly and fairly. This is an ongoing process at this time. Annual Report to Trustees Jun I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to our Admin Team, Andrea and Heather who, under the leadership of Catherine, have kept us on the right path with their incredible support and dedication. They are an invaluable asset at the heart of Larne Foodbank. I would also like to thank our volunteers, who give so freely of their time. In the past year we estimate that they have provided some 4800 volunteer hours to our community. Time and time again our volunteers step into the breach when help is needed. They are our'back bone, _ without them there would be no Foodbank. And to those who give food or money to the Foodbank THANKYOU. Your kindness means so much to those in need - never underestimate the difference you are making. In conclusion, I look forward to working with and getting to know you all in the incoming year and I wish Joan Erwin all the best for the future and whilst she is still working in the Foodbank, I may be knocking on her door for some help and guidance. 2: Runnin the Foodbank: The costs of running the Foodbank continues to rise (see Statement of Receipts and Payments- Year ending 31 March 2023) an extract from that statement is given below.. Table 1.. Extract from 'Statement of Re￿Ipts and Payments.. 2022-2023 2021-2022 Receipts £ 69.9)9.00 £ 41,828.00 Payments £ 43,923.CJ) £ 24.291.00 Cash at bank and in hand £ 91,368. £74,382.00 recei payments cash a bank and n hand 2022-2023 • 2021-2022 Our finances are stable and very healthy. While our costs have increased significantly, due to the increase in the number of people fed, so too have the financial donations coming into Larne Foodbank. We have been able to begin to do some fundraising activities post pandemic. Donations from local business have increased and we secured one grant of £5,000 from Trussell Trust. GDPR: There were no data breaches in the year that this report covers. Safeguarding: There are no safeguarding issues to report. Annual Report to Trustees Health and safety: An important element of the work of the Foodbank both for clients, employees and volunteer workers. 'Emergency First Aid, certification for at least one member of each team is currently being sourced through MEABC. Quality assurance: As in previous years this was carried out on-line. There were no reportable instances. 3: Annual Ststistics: Donations: 21.994 tonnes of food and essential items were donated to the Foodbank in 2022-23 with 23°/o being donated by local churches and 42 % being donated via the ASDA donation point. The rest of the donations came from other local business. individuals. organisations and schools. We are particularly grateful for this as ASDA contribute a monetary donation as a percentage of the total weight donated by the public. In 2022-23 this amounted to £4332 Donations overall were once again high and we are immensely grateful to the local community for their support. As you can see from this diagram we distributed more food than was donated. Even with the reduction in the level of stock held in our warehouse we continue to have a full range of food items and the Foodbank was able to meet the increased demand. We are humbled to see the continuing trend, throughout our 10 years of operation, where the donations received correlates closely to the volume of food distributed. 21.994 tonnes 24.06 tonn issue onate Food donated and issued over the 10 years 13 14 16 17 IB 19 21 23 FLYpJ rtsnated q￿F{K￿Y issued Referrers" A stron Referral A enc Partnershi Individuals and families are referred to us through a wide range of, around 50, active referral agencies who also assist people with their crisis. Referrals during the past year, 1 April 2022 to 31 st March 2023, were 2,847, up from 1,923 in the same period in 2021122. This is a significant and alanning increase of 32.4 % from last year. This reflects but is slightly higher than the 290/0 increase seen in the number of parcels distributed by the Trussell Trust ne￿Ork in Northern Ireland during the same period. Statistics gathered throughout the year show our seven main Referrers were.. Advice Nl, MECAS (formerly Citizens Advice), Doctors and Health Visitors, Christians Against Poverty (CAP), Social Service Teams, Larne Community Care and Crisis Housing, and Women's Aid. While the plan was to phase out the number of self-referrals at Larne Foodbank, this proved more difficult as the need increased and people were not always able to access a referral agency. We continue to work at reducing the need for self-referrals and have changed how the emergency phone operates in order to ensure that people use a referral agency and get the additional assistan￿ they require. Annual Report to Trustees June 2023 Table 2.. Referral agencies and numbers of people referred.. Referral agency Advice Nl MECAS Doctors & Health Visitor Teams Christians Against Povety (CAP) Social Service Teams Self-referral at Foodbank Larne Community Care & Crisis Housin Women's Aid Number 375 292 262 231 218 188 Referral agency Salvation Army Antrim Coast Lions Local Elected Representatives St Vincent de Paul Horizon Surestart Simon Community Number 119 119 112 105 94 92 13% 101. 8% 8/ 7% 4% 3% 183 Others 300 11°/0 157 Total Individuals Referred 2847 REFERRAL AGENCIES 2022-2023 ice Nl IYA sin￿ ComThwlty 3% si Wincent de Pa 4% io% 4% uKI Health Iris 6% 6X Crisis es. as identified b referrers: When an individual or family is referred to the Foodbank the referral agency completes a form, part of which is to identify the reason(s) why the referral is being made. The table and chart shown below show that almost 50 % of those referred are listed as 'low income.. Annual Report to stees 2023 The Foodbank continues to work with Trussell Trust and our Referral Agencies with the aim of uncovering the deeper reasons behind low income and put more detail on the form, allowing us to better signpost those individuals. 'Child holiday meals, being the second highest crisis type justifies the Foodbank's concerns for the increasing numbers of children. and therefore families being in food poverty which is reflected throughout the Trussell Trust in Northern Ireland. Table 3.. Crisis types and numbers referred: Crisis type Low income Child holiday meals Debt Number of people affected 1423 359 50.0 % 225 8.0°/9 Benefit delay Homeless 175 6.00/0 168 Benefit changes Sickness Domestic violence Delayed wages Other reasons Total individuals referred 120 99 29 3.0% 1.0. 0.50 9.0/0 100% 242 2847 REASONS FOR REFERRAL Low Income Child Holiday Meals • Debt Benefit Ddays Homele55 Benefit Chang Sickness Do￿￿stiC Vdence Ddayed Wages Other The risin numbers of eo leex eriencin food insecuri Referrals, when tsken cumulatively from the beginning of Lame Foodbank in 2013, show a continuous and increasing rise in those encountering food poverty and seeking a food parcel from Larne Foodbank. Annual Report t stees Jun 23 The tsble and graph below show Larne Foodbank's statistics" however. it is of significance that what we experience in our local community reflects very closely the national picture as set out by the Trussell Trust. Table 4: Year4)n-year and cumulative figures.. Year Yeatty figures CumulatNe figures Children Adults Total Children Adults Total 2012-13 2013-14 153 615 768 154 623 777 2014-15 128 432 560 282 1.055 1.337 2015-16 214 647 861 496 1.702 2,198 3,173 4,341 5,442 6,691 8,777 10,698 13.545 2016-17 209 766 975 705 2.468 2017-18 349 819 1,168 1.101 1,054 1,406 1.846 2,736 3.287 2018-19 352 749 4,036 4.845 2019-20 440 809 1,249 2,086 1,921 2847 2020-21 890 1.196 1.111 1.692 6.041 2021-22 810 3.546 4,701 7,152 8.844 2022-23 1,155 NUMBER OF PEOPLE FED BY LARNE FOODBANK EACH YEAR SINCE OPENING IN 2013 1500 50) 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 TfUSSell Trust￿U[e5 01 parcelsprovKledforadults. children and total in Northern Ireland FY 2017118- FY 2022123 Annual Report to Trustees The Trussell Trust identified the increased need experienced in Northern Ireland during 2022123 to be significantly higher than during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthem)ore, they highlighted that the current level of need in Northern Ireland is 80 /0 higher than the pre-pandemic year of 2019120. This is the highest per￿ntage increase seen across the entire national network, with England seeing a 65°/0 increase, Wales 360/0 and Scotland 90/0. At Larne Foodbank however, the percentage increase from 2019120 to 2022123 is 128 %. This is why Larne Foodbank aims to build closer working relationships with our referral agencies, churches, charities and community groups. By gathering strength, information and high-quality signposting, it is our hope to begin the reversal of this alarming trend. Of course, we endeavour also to reach those who are experiencing food insecurity but have not, for one reason or another, reached out for support and food aid. "While public attention often focuses primarily on the extent of food bank need, research into Hunger in Northem Ireland. undertaken by IPOS and the Trussell Trust, finds food bank use is just the tip of a much deeper iceberg of hunger in the UK. 16% of all adults in Northern Ireland (or their households) have experienced food insecurity in the 12 months to mid-2022, equating to an estimated 354, 000 people. This means that- at some point over this period- they have run out of food and been unable to afford more, and/or reduced meal size, eaten less. gone hungry or lost weight due to lack of money. . 7% of households across Northern Ireland accessed support from some type of food aid across Northern Ireland such as receiving support from a food bank or accessing low-cost food aid from a social supem7aH(et. This means an estimated 158, 000 people were supported by food aid in Northem Ireland. Despite the growth in the number of food parcels provided by the Trussell Tnist networt( in Northern Ireland. and by independent providers. more than fwo thirds of those experiencing food insecurity have not received food aid. Food bank use therefore d￿S not represent the entirety of need across the country. but rather those who have accessed this form of support many more appear to be facing serious hardship without seeking such help . (Extract taken from the Hunger in Northem I￿land Report issued June 20231 4: Strate ic and business lannin As part of the three-year Business Plan 2022-2025, goals and new initiatives set ft)r the year 2022-23 were.. GOAL MET? NOTE To continue to provide food for families and individuals who find themselves in crisis. Met The basic role and function of the Foodbank. We have met the increased demand. To signpost those who seek our help to other agencies who may be of assistan￿. To continue to develop our services in Glenarm and Carnlough. Met We have referred to CAP, MEA Affordable Food Club, Housing support and many others. We have engaged with Antrim Coast Lions to help support Ukrainian Refugees in Carnlough Through local agencies, MEABC Advice Nl and the Trussell Trust nationally as can be seen in the Hunger in Nl Report. We successfully received one grant. Partly Met To continue to monitor the impact of the welfare system. Met To continue to seek support from grant awarding bodies. Met Annual Report to Trustees June 2023 To grow our relationships with local communities and schools and form stronger links with other Foodbanks. Met We continued with our 'schools out, programme through the holidays. We connected well with Carrick Foodbank. We hosted a multi-agency meeting with referral agencies, school and church representatives. Some of our volunteers participated in webinar workshops with the Trussell trust. Volunteer Survey was carried out by Joan Erwin. All training carried out was facilitated by other agencies at no cost to Larne Foodbank. We took the lead in hosting a multi-agency meeting in September. We continue to build on the already established relationships with other agencies. We have actively worked at changing minds, changing community and changing policy with all our interactions and have been represented at the Trussell Trust meetings and plan to meet individually with Referrers in the future. We have financially supported other agencies who assist with gas, oil and electric to provide help to local people. We have continued to embed the goals of T4C in all that we do in Larne Foodbank. To build on the intensive survey of our volunteers with training events and skills development... Partly Met To direct financial resources towards dedicated, focused, volunteer training. Not Met To continue our work with other agencies developing a wider brief for Larne Foodbank within our community (Together for Change) Met To continue to engage with the Trussell Trusts Together for Change and their strategic vision 'To end hunger and poverty in the UK Met To direct financial resources towards dedicated, focused aid working with other local agencies. To continue to develop the T4C Larne Strategy Met Met NEW INITIATIVES FOR 2022-23 MET7 NOTE To develop stronger relationships with local businesses. Met We received donations of £19,450 from local business in the year 2022 - 23. Further work can be done. To generate a marketinglfund raising strategy Partly Met Our staff and volunteers have sought to be more proactive through Facebook, and our web site has been reviewed and updated Our staff and volunteers have ensured that items needed have been publicised on our Website, Facebook and on the Bank the Food app. We endeavour to get our message out at every opportunity. We have been in a financial position to continue with the fresh produce voucher scheme. To produce marketing material across a range of media. Partly Met To aim for a continuation of the fresh produ voucher scheme Met Annual Report to Trustees June 2023 Conclusions: The work carried out by our volunteers and staff and the generosity of local people, organisations and businesses places us in a position to deal with the continuing increase in the numbers of those who seek our help while at the same time working towards a day when we are no longer needed. Signed.. Chair Larne Foodbank Date.. Signed.. Chair of Trustees Date: li1091202£ Annual Report t ustees June 202 Public Benefit Statement 2022/2023 During the year 202212023 Larne Foodbank received donations of almost 22 tonnes of food and toiletries from a variety of sources, 45% from collection points in local shops, {the main one being ASDA customers at 42%) and 23% from local churches. The rest of the donations came from other local businesses, individuals, organisations and schools. Larne Foodbank provided a minimum of three days. supply of non-perishable food and toiletries to families and individuals, those who were identified as being in crisis, leading to food poverty. We also issued vouchers for fresh meat, fruit, vegetables, milk and bread. Other items such as cat and dog food (supplied by USPCAI were issued when available. Recipients must obtain a voucher from one of our 50 referral agencies before receiving food. In the year ending March 2023 we gave out just over 24 tonnes of food and toiletries fulfilling 1155 vouchers. This provided food to 1692 adults and 1155 children, a total of 2847 people. The bulk of these recipients were referred by Advice Nl113%1, Mid and East Antrim Community Advice Services (IO%l, Doctors and Health Visitor Teams19%), Christians Against Poverty {8%) and Social Services Teams {8%1. The major reasons for foodbank use were: low income150%), child holiday meals (12.5%}, debt 18%), benefit delays (6%}, homelessness16%) and benefit changes (4%). For Christmas of 2022 Larne Foodbank, along with our partners from Christians Against Poverty, Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul. Equality Period and twenty other referral agencies, we distributed 381 bags of food and other items to 252 homes. The work of Larne Foodbank is supported by over 60 volunteers who sort. date and store the food; at four sessions per week our volunteers offer a cup of tea and a chat to all who are referred- Signposting information and contact details are given out; our volunteers manage and administer the charity with the support of three part-time paid staff. Signed on Behalf of the Trustees of Larne Foodbank Signature Print Name Date IJX S¥t.