This is the first year that The Food Bank has been a CIC and so the first of these annual reports. I am very grateful to Ed Jackson and Drina Heighton for the time invested in making the application to become a CIC.
During the year we were fortunate to receive generous donations of our basic provisions from communities in Shipston and the surrounding villages, especially at harvest and Christmas time. Additionally, we have continued to benefit from regular financial donations from individuals each month and one off grants from charities and other organisations. We are also recipients of fresh fruit and vegetables most weeks from the Cotswold Veg Company and have received regular cakes from one person in the community. All of this is greatly appreciated and demonstrates the level of support for the work of the Food Bank in our communities.
However, the costing of living crisis has impacted us in two ways. Firstly, donations of produce each week have decreased and so our need to shop to top this up has increased significantly and we now have a team of shoppers who undertake this on our behalf.
Secondly, demand for help has increased, especially over the winter period and at the beginning of 2023 as the increase in fuel costs became a very real problem.
However, because of the generosity of individuals and groups we were able to meet these demands, but only because of the commitment of our regular shoppers.
In the year 2022-3, we gave out more food parcels (just under 1000) than at the height of the pandemic and helped 140 families. We continue to feed more adults than children.
Our Saturday sessions are staffed by a very dedicated and hardworking ‘backstage’ team without whose dedication this would ne be possible.
Because of the increased demand and the long standing nature of some of our customers, the Management Committee decided to collect some basic information from customers including how else we may help them. The results of this will be collated and other help such as debt and budgeting advice offered in a more structured way.
Many of our customers have multiple needs which contribute to their food poverty and we have benefited from the informal advice of Jo Barker, the District and County Councillor
during the year.
It seems likely that demand will remain at a high (or higher) level for the foreseeable future and currently we are in the position to meet those needs.
Sarah Edmonds
June 2023
