Friary Park Community Centre
“Some people are still ashamed about using a foodbank. We explain the environmental benefits and how we are saving the food we give from landfill. We work hard to welcome everyone with a smile and a chair.”
Valeries Briars, who runs the service says: “We get a bit of everything really, so tomatoes, onions, carrots, basically a lot of fruit and vegetables, we get meat, sandwiches, drinks, bread, ready meals, crisps and treats. When we first started, we only took fruit and vegetables, healthy options, but we soon realised everyone deserves a treat now and again. We really try and cater to everyone and offer them things they want in their bag – hence taking everything.”
A team of volunteers, without which the service would not run, pack between 35 and 45 bags each week. Each bag is tailored to individual needs, for example vegetarian or Halal produce. Valerie says the need is increasing, but so is the estate, adding: “We used to be just 250 flats but because of the regeneration we will eventually be an estate of over 1,000 flats. The need is there and people are very grateful. We are told by residents they would not be able to survive without it.”
The need was made particularly clear when the community centre opened a warm hub last winter. It gave people who were worried about paying their heating bills somewhere warm to come. Valarie adds: “We gave people tea and coffee, soup and also large meals like chilli con carne or a jacket potato. We would sit for a few hours and we got to know more people on a more personal level doing jigsaw puzzles or crochet. We have plans to do the same next winter. One of our aims is to use the contents of the bags to make a meal and share it with the people who collect and then circulate the recipe.”
The idea is to make the food hub more of a social event and remove some of the stigma. They already do this by inviting people in for a chat and a cup of tea each week: Valerie adds: “, I know some people are still ashamed about using a foodbank and so don’t want to meet other residents in this way. We explain about the environmental benefits and how we are saving the food we give from land fill. We work hard to welcome everyone with a smile and a chair. It’s so lovely to see, they tell us what’s going on in their part of the estate, it also helps with the loneliness, getting people out of their house and gives them a friendly person to chat to. It’s just more of a community and has created friendships outside of the community centre.”