Hi everyone, this is the first of our news articles for quite some time and we’re hoping that these can become a little bit more regular from here on in.
We would love to give you all a little insight into what’s been happening for us over the last year with a particular focus on the Christmas period.
We managed to provide over 100 Christmas hampers for our referral partners who passed these onto families who were struggling within the area.
We would like to convey our warmest gratitude to all those who donated and indeed continue to do so as this enabled us to provide substantial food hampers alongside some Christmas treats.
We’d like to thank all those who came to help with the hamper making process. They were energetic and fun sessions as well as being completely sobering for all those taking part. The scale of need within the area really hit home for many.
Unfortunately, we are still seeing many being referred for help within our community. On average we are helping 30-40 families per week, which can amount to anything between 80-120 bags of food that are prepped in advance by our volunteers.
Main reasons for referrals are in part down to the hike in food prices and the struggle to adapt to a new benefit system, which evidence clearly shows falls short in providing people with their basic essentials. The inbuilt 6 week wait for Universal Credit (with only the help of an advance payment, which is then taken from said benefit once the first payment is awarded) leaves many in debt or behind with their basic living costs. This seems to be a vicious cycle where people just cannot get ahead or even make their finances stretch.
We’ve been busy campaigning in the background and our recent visit last year to Westminster was to lobby our MPs regarding the injustices many are facing as a result of this flawed system. This was an encouraging visit with our MP engaging and listening to those with lived experience. Our campaigning will continue at both local and national levels so that we can advocate on behalf of all those affected by one crisis or another.
Our fundraising efforts are ongoing as we continue in our efforts to fund our running costs (we received no core funding for this). We have been so grateful for some major fundraising events that others have initiated with a New Year’s Eve comedy night hosted by Cathedral Quarter Comedy Club raising a total of £2820!
We have been very grateful for the support we receive from both Annemarie at Asda and Maggie at Sainsburys. These local supermarkets have been just wonderful in supporting us with donations both in food and finance.
We will had two relay teams for the up and coming Belfast City Marathon on Sunday May 3rd (donation links will be provided in our socials).
As it stands the future for many remains uncertain. Our aim is to lighten that burden and help where we can. We continue to be grateful for all the support we receive and we really couldn’t do it without all your warm generosity.
Donna Donna (Foodbank Centre Coordinator)
Edel Diamond (Foodbank Manager)