NewStarts Foodbank
Funding from WCF has enabled us to keep serving the extraordinary demand for emergency food parcels, which jumped by 1000% in March 2020. Although numbers scaled back gradually through 2020, the food bank remains under extreme pressure dealing with unprecedented demand and through the early months of 2021 we were donating/providing on average 30/40 X 7-day food parcels for Bromsgrove households every week, a number which is 6/7 times higher than pre-covid times. Because of WCF funding we were able to continue the 7-day parcels, including fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, quality meat and bakery goods (bread/eggs). The parcels have been described as a lifeline with recipients typically amazed by the generosity of each parcel.
For the single parent mum with twin 5 year-olds, struggling to cope with them at home full time, unable to look for paid work, facing higher bills all-round and with no access to free school meals, the parcels not only met a practical need but gave her a much-needed emotional boost, showing her that in the toughest times her community cares. Another example was the single man in his early 20s who was unable to work due to complications following a recent operation, had no family support and was trying to sort out his benefits. He simply couldn’t comprehend how much food was in a single parcel. He had genuinely expected a single carrier bag of dried/tinned goods so was amazed by the sheer scope of the parcel including fresh produce, easing the pressure on him. Ultimately, our ability to be so generous has been facilitated and driven by WCF’s generosity to us.