from the Thurrock Foodbank team, sent 19/04/2013
This past week has been the first Thurrock foodbank week with lots of people participating in the special events across the borough.
Almost 100 volunteers are involved with the work of Thurrock foodbank and many of them gathered for a time of recognition and appreciation on Monday.
Project Director Victoria Windus hosted the event held in Stanford. The Mayor of Thurrock Yash Gupta attended and said he was encouraged and impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of the volunteers who make foodbank happen, the generosity of local people and the real difference foodbank had made in the borough. During the evening groups of volunteers from each of the distribution centres, the warehouse team and the project team were presented with certificates of recognition and spoke about their work and told specific stories and gave amazing examples of how people are being helped.
The Thurrock foodbank warehouse at Stanford Methodist Church was open to visitors on Wednesday. Regulars and guests called in to meet the team and to drop off food. The food donations are received, weighed and sorted by the team each week, and boxes of food are picked and packed for the distribution centres. The boxes are of different sizes – for individuals, couples and families – and contain enough for ten meals.
One of the six food distribution centres – at the St Francis Centre, Linford – opened its doors to visitors on Thursday and was able to showcase their work of meeting clients and highlight the individual care and concern for each recipient of food.
There was a time of thanksgiving and celebration led by Ashley Lovett at Socketts Heath Baptist Church on Friday evening. It was a time of praise and thanks to God for the work of foodbank in this area, reflecting on the establishment and growth of the work over the past year, the way the local church community has worked together to identify the need and set up the means to address it, and how Christians are able to communicate the resurrection news of Jesus and his love through this practical work by so many people in our area.
Finally there was a food collection day at Sainsbury’s in Chafford Hundred on Saturday where hundreds of shoppers were asked to buy one or two items on the foodbank shopping list alongside their weekly shop and contribute these items to Thurrock foodbank. Over one tonne of food was received and we are grateful to the generosity of so many people.
It has been a really busy week. Thank you to everyone who participated in the events and to all those who so faithfully and regularly donate food items or give financial support. Since foodbank opened in Thurrock last July 1,135 local people have been provided with food. The need is continuing to grow all the time and there is an on-going requirement for more in-date non- perishable food and for more volunteers to assist with the work. There is still a lot to do as the demand increases and the work of foodbank expands in Thurrock. If you could volunteer for an hour or two to assist on a regular basis or want to make a financial donation please log on to the website at www.thurrock.foodbank.org.uk
See link to left for downloadable PDF of these photos and many more from the Thurrock foodbank week.
Here are some items for your prayers
Thank God for…
- Everyone who’s ever eaten a foodbank meal
- Getting started in the first place
- The Trussell Trust, the story, the foodbank Network
- Victoria Windus and the Project Team
- All the volunteers and all the help they’ve given
- The supermarket collections, and all our food donors
- The six Distribution Centres across the borough
- The voucher givers
- Warehouse space – past, present, and future
Pray to God for…
- Every person we will feed – for God to touch them
- Replenishing food stocks
- Moving into the Garron Lane premises, and making that work
- Finding new voucher givers – especially in areas with none New Distribution Centres opening up across the borough
- Wisdom to know how to link in with other projects such as Besom, CAP, Credit Union, etc.
- More volunteers and help for the Project Team Grant money to come in and for clarity for spending priorities
