Emergency Food Bank and Meals Support During Coronavirus Pandemic Across East Yorkshire Constituency

Produced by the East Yorkshire Labour Party

During the Coronavirus pandemic much of our who have worked tirelessly since early March to meet local provision for food banks and the delivery the massively increased demand for assistance across of food parcels/boxes to vulnerable individuals our region. and families within our area has temporarily come under the banner of East Riding of We would like to take this opportunity to thank them Yorkshire Council as a ‘Community Hub’ as well all for their efforts and would ask that you offer as additional help from national charities whilst any support you can to help them continue their the Coronavirus pandemic is present. operations which are likely to be needed for many more months to come. Details on how you can help The services detailed below are run by volunteers are inside. Thank you Bridlington and Area

The Hinge Since early March 2020 ‘The Hinge’ has been operational under the banner of East Riding of Yorkshire Council temporarily based at The Bridlington Leisure Centre, Promenade, Bridlington. The Site Manager is Jo Sanders and The Deputy Manager is Megan Robinson. During the pandemic the site provides the Kingfisher Cafe following services: This café has been operational for over eleven • Prepared food parcels for takeaway or delivery years and is based at West Street, Bridlington (some free and some paid depending on YO15 3DX. Before March 2020 they offered both circumstances), takeaway meals and hot meals within the café environment, giving their clients, who were • Prescription collection and deliveries, predominantly homeless, the opportunity to • Medication collection and deliveries, socialise and have a comfortable and warm place to sit for a few hours. Due to the Covid-19 • Advice and support to their clients, including virus pandemic the cafe now provides the information on benefit entitlements (new following services: information to individuals who have been furloughed or made redundant from their • Prepared and cooked hot main meals for takeaway employment), housing support, re-settlement (some free and some charged at £1 depending on advice, financial advice. circumstances), The service is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to • Prepared cold meals for ‘pack-up’ lunches, 3.30pm. • Distribution of donated clothing and sleeping bags, They have in the region of 20 regular volunteers • An official address for clients to be able to access who assist at the site as well as assistance with welfare and have post delivered on their behalf, fundraising. Since the start of the pandemic they have seen a significant increase in families and individuals • Advice and support to their clients including on using their services. Between 23rd March and 4th benefit entitlements, housing/hostel support, June 2020, they distributed 1,354 food parcels; nearly re-settlement advice and assistance. a 30-fold increase on the previous year, and during The cafe is open Wednesday to Saturday from 9.30 the whole of 2019 they distributed 957 food parcels – am to 12 noon and Sunday 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm – they have already distributed nearly 400 more parcels Sunday being their busiest day generally. in 2020 with six months of the year yet to go! They have in the region of eight regular volunteers The Hinge receives some local government grants who assist at the cafe as well as assistance with as well as some lottery funding and a great deal of fundraising. support from the community but regular fundraising is key to their continuation. They were able to Since the start of the pandemic they have seen a fundraise a little over £30,000 last year but to date 50% increase in families and individuals using their this year have not been able to fundraise at all. They services – particularly for meals on Sunday. They are currently spending about £400 per week on food spend approximately £1,200 per month on groceries, parcel contents. feeding approximately 60 individuals per week. They have also noted a significant increase in their costs They stay in touch with their clients via a regular due to providing takeaway meals and meeting the newsletter and have good contacts in the local costs of boxes and cartons etc, for packaging. newspaper too. The café has a great working relationship with a large How we can help number of community projects including the local They have recently developed a new scheme, Masons and local churches. Occasionally they are ‘Friends of The Hinge’ where people can donate as able to access lottery funding. little as £10 per year. Details can be found on their How we can help website www.thehinge.org.uk The café has a website www.kingfishercafe.org.uk You could contact the Manager Jo Sanders on The Chairperson is Rosie French. To donate 07955069744 or the Deputy Manager Megan foodstuffs, make monetary donations or volunteer Robinson on 07840701476 or via email at your time contact Rosie on 07860354542 or via email [email protected] at [email protected] Bridlington Children’s Centre The services provided by the Children’s Centre have now merged with the Emmanuel Church Community Hub, based at Bridlington Leisure Centre as per The Hinge. During lockdown, Emmanuel Church are providing a take-away meal service for the How we can help homeless on Tuesdays at 5.45 pm. They continue The contact for Bridlington Children’s Centre is to have some limited contact with their clients Peter Haley at [email protected] and all the supporting agencies are aware of their operation. Any donations they receive are distributed to those in need within the parish. Salvation Army How we can help The usual provision of drop-in centre serving As the building is currently closed it is advised to hot meals to the homeless and those on low contact the vicar, Revd Richard Hare on 01262 229503 incomes has been suspended during the if anyone has donations. Coronavirus pandemic. The provision that is now in place is the distribution of small food bags containing ingredients to make up two meals, as Christ Church well as other ad hoc food provisions depending on availability. The ‘Doorstep Project’ has been operational for over twenty years where vulnerable individuals The serving hot meals has been operational for over and families can drop in for items of food and ten years but had to change in light of the pandemic. other essential household goods and toiletries. Major Barbara Jeffery is the manager of the site. Prior to lockdown the church would have 40-60 The food bags are distributed (not delivered as no people dropping in weekly. Since the pandemic drivers are available at present) from the base at 18 the service has extended to include a food Wellington Road, Bridlington YO15 2BG on Monday parcel delivery service as well as the drop in and morning between 9.30am and 10.30am. Volunteers they have more or less doubled their numbers of are also present at the site on Wednesday and people accessing the service since March. Friday mornings to offer other support. The service distributes about 20 food bags per week and there Food parcels are made up of store cupboard food has been no significant change in these numbers essentials as well as a hot meal, toiletries etc plus since the start of the pandemic. customised items for families with children and/ or pets. The service relies on both local and national fundraising, and donations throughout the year. The parcel delivery service (operational on Tuesday and Thursdays) and the drop-in centre (open How we can help on Monday and Wednesday) are being run by Contact Major Jeffery on 01262 603009 to donate approximately 15 volunteers and two paid staff out foodstuffs or make monetary donations, or volunteer of the church at 2 Quay Road, Bridlington. YO15 2AP. your time by contacting this same number. The They are receiving donations from local people, local provision is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday businesses and supermarkets. from 9 am to 12 noon. How we can help Contact either Toni Miles who is the Team Leader or Emma Miles who is a Development Leader on 01262 404100 or via email at [email protected] or [email protected] Toni and Emma would be grateful for monetary donations, food/cleaning items/toiletry donations for the parcels or volunteer help if you have time. Driffield and Area

treats. Careful consideration is given to special diets, ‘Love Driffield’ – Driffield children or babies in the home (nappies, baby food and Wolds Food Bank included) and, where possible, pet food. The parcels also contain cleaning items and toiletries depending Love Driffield is now operating under the on availability. They are currently meeting the needs Community Hub managed by East Riding of of approximately 60 families distributing 84 food Yorkshire Council and are based at a new parcels and spending approximately £2,600 weekly. location in the town centre in order to meet the increased needs of the local people it serves. They are in receipt of food and other product donations from individuals and local businesses as Before March 2020 the food bank was predominantly well as monetary assistance from local grants and a drop-in centre for food and household items. Since national government money March it has, like other services, been operating a food parcel/box provision which is delivered to How we can help individuals and families in need. Angela Train is the Manager and a Trustee In January 2020 it served 37 families; by April 2020 it (Love Driffield achieved charity status in August 2019) served 210! Demand has massively increased and for and can be contacted via email several weeks of the pandemic Love Driffield have [email protected] or been offering a 6 day a week service. via telephone on 01377 252230. The generic food parcels are made up at the main Angela would be grateful for monetary donations, centre by a small number of volunteers and generally food/cleaning items/toiletry donations for the parcels contain foodstuffs to make up three meals plus or volunteer help if you have time.

Pocklington, Market Weighton and Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Area

milk, cheese etc. (where families have the need for The People’s Pantry nappies and baby products these are often included Operational now for just over two years, The as too for pet food.) Distribution is being undertaken People’s Pantry has three sites in Pocklington, by some Council employees as well as volunteers. A Market Weighton and Holme-on-Spalding-Moor. donation of £2 is sometimes given by those receiving Prior to the pandemic, they all functioned as the parcels but the food bank is unable to rely on this drop-in food banks but, like other services, are and is accessing funding via local grants and national now operating under the banner of East Riding charities as well as food donations from local shops of Yorkshire Council via the Community Hub and restaurants. delivering food parcels out to people’s homes. How we can help Like most of the other services, their workload has increased significantly; in April and early The Manager at the Pocklington site is Heather May 2019 - 44 individuals came to their door; Davidson who can be contacted on 07904 967578. for the same period this year that number had The Manager at Market Weighton is Karen Berry and increased to 409. at Holme-on-Spalding-Moor it is Stephen Cope they both can be contacted on 07740 998581. Alternative venues have been sought to meet the increased need and the food boxes are made up with The People’s Pantry would be grateful for food and ‘meals and treats’ in mind. Boxes also contain fresh household product donations, financial help and/or fruit and vegetables as well as dairy items such as volunteer help.

June 2020. All information correct at time of writing.