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Please, No More Beans!

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Please, No More Beans! The most often donated items are bags Please, no of dried pasta and cans of beans. Tinned vegetables can be very nutritious and canned meats are in short supply, so donations of more beans! these items and personal hygiene products are especially welcome. or I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, FI was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me.” Matthew Chapter 25, Verses 35 to 36 The Cotmandene Crescent branch of the Bromley Borough Food Bank was set up by the Oak Community Church under the auspices of the respected Trussell Trust in 2010, with Christians Mary and Guy Beckingham as project leaders. A sympathetic local counsellor procured a shop for the food bank initially in St Mary Cray and a project began which was to take over their lives in a way they never anticipated. The Foodbank has touched the lives of hundreds of hungry people and made a positive difference to them at a time when they have been at their most vulnerable. A fire forced the food bank to move to St Paul’s Cray, where they are now. of Kent and we happened to ventures like this one check Mary explained, “We belong see a Trussell Trust mission what support is already to quite a ‘foody’ church and stand at an event we went to. available in the community. we were running a lunch club We knew this was it – bang!” Guy said, “We have now taken for the elderly, which was over two other small-scale great, but we felt we were Guy added, “The Trussell Trust food banks, one in Anerley feeding the fed, not feeding is brilliant! They provided all and one in Penge. To sustain the hungry. We are not an of the information we needed a food bank, people need to especially large church but we to get started. We became keep donating, and one church are in an area of deprivation franchisees and we just ran is sometimes too small to be and we felt we needed to with it. It took 13 months to able to do this. So Bromley has do something for the wider set up, from beginning in May a group of churches and food community. The Crays are 2009 to opening 13 months and toiletry items are donated known for being poorer areas later. It’s essential that new to us from across the borough.” The Trussell Trust is based also encourage churches to centres in Bromley, Anerley in Salisbury, and they use a keep a box in their church, (Christ Church in the Diocese voucher system for clients. so that the congregation may of Rochester) and Penge are One of the first challenges in donate food items each week.” situated in churches which establishing a food bank is have helpfully donated space. in establishing commitment With around 250 churches in This is very helpful because from local care agencies like the Diocese of Rochester, this there needs to be a warehouse the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, could make a huge difference to store the food, and then GPs, Age Concern and Social to those in need. The another space for transactions Services. These official bodies development of the Bromley where clients can be seen. must agree to hold the food bank has been gradual, as A real example of churches vouchers, so that they can Guy explained, “We opened in working together! Mary said, distribute them to the people Orpington in the first instance, “Food distribution is very who most need this kind of then two years later we carefully thought out. The targeted help. opened in Bromley and then Trussell Trust has done a lot in Anerley and Penge last year. of research into nutrition, and Guy said, “When we started, Our feeling is that in this time, we try to balance the needs of we needed to publicise the the overall demand for food a single person just as much food bank and tell people bank support has gone up, but as a family. We give people about it; now, people know it’s hard to be certain because enough food for three days how to contact us, and we now more people know we are when they are in crisis or an can be found on Google. I am here and they can come to us emergency situation. Some often invited to team meetings for help.” people do try to exploit the and one of my roles is to system, but most are genuine. encourage people to collect Mary said, We just have to pay close food for us. Trussell Trust attention to everything.” has built a relationship with “Typically, most of our Tesco who allow us to collect clients are people who The primary purpose of a food from their customers twice are struggling because bank is to help people with a year: July and December their hunger, but Bromley food 2013 collections resulted in of changes to the benefit bank like many others, offers 14.8 tonnes of food being system.” support with extra household donated to which Tesco items like toilet rolls, washing- added a financial donation of “When someone finishes work, up liquid, shaving foam, £7,300. Last year, (2013) we it can take up to 7 weeks for sanitary products, shower gel, received 58 tonnes of food in them to get into the system. shampoo and toothpaste. Mary donations, which is about 25 Unfortunately, any human said, “There are extras that banana boxes of food each error with computer systems people need. We will provide week. Of that, we gave out for example, only makes this nappies for people with babies, 52 tonnes and recently we ran worse. This can cause a lot of and tins of formula for those out of vegetables and meat heartache. It’s not always the that need it. Pets can also be completely. People do donate fault of the claimant.” a great source of comfort for a lot of tins of beans and bags people, sometimes, that’s all of dried pasta, which is great Although Bromley food bank they have – so we will provide – but it’s not always what we has enjoyed three years of pet food if it is needed and really need.” working rent-free, they do people do donate it. We also now have to pay rent of talk to our clients on a 1:1 Mary added, “We started by £8,500 p.a. on the Orpington basis, and point them in the asking people in church to premises. This means that direction of other agencies – donate food items on what they do welcome financial like MIND – who may be able we called ‘food bank Sunday’ donations, because there are to help them. Some people because we needed to open significant overheads to pay. are very distressed not only by with food on the shelves. We The food bank distribution their circumstances, but also by the fact that they have had are the minority. There is no preaching Matthew: ‘For I to ask for help.” flexibility in the official benefit was hungry and you gave me system. The claimants are something to eat, I was thirsty Emotionally, running a food often vulnerable and they and you gave me something bank can be very draining. rely on other people who can to drink’. This is about not It can be hard to see people sometimes be very helpful turning our back and not struggling every day. Guy and sometimes be quite nasty making a judgement. Some said, “It is very hard when you to them. Some people do people come and help us later, have no way to help people. get angry and some are very once they are back on their Ours is a short-term measure. tearful, and there are often feet; they put something back Mental health issues often medical reasons for that – but when they can. The stark contribute to difficulties in life the benefits system doesn’t reality is this can happen to for people; as an observer, you consider this and people can anyone. We are just trying to can’t see that because people be very alienated.” make a difference and help will look well, even when they when we can.” are not. Sometimes, people Churches can help either with mental health issues can by collecting food and then be well some of the time, delivering it to the food bank, If you would like to know and unwell for the rest. The or by donating money or more about the Trussell Trust benefit system was never set time. Mary said, “The food or the Bromley food bank, up to cope with that. People bank system relies heavily please go to: who are single also have real on volunteers giving of their www.bromleyborough. problems. I do understand time freely. The donated foodbank.org.uk that the system has to food has to be collected, www.trusselltrust.org have rules, so, for example, weighed and sorted by date claimants need to sign-on on during the working day. It’s If you would like to volunteer time; the rest of us have to important because you are to help Bromley food bank, go to work on time. Some doing something to really or would like to support them people are lazy and some help someone else. You will financially, please call people can’t be bothered, be making a real difference 020 3751 4177.
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