13ank CIC - Foodbank Po9

Connecting with local schools, nurseries, churches, community centres, surgeries, small businesses and individuals to collect donations that stock our food bank store is just one of the unique qualities of FoodBank Po9.

Our dedicated volunteers collect from all of our local institutions and private residents creating a sense of mutuality in the service they provide, everyone is on first name terms and the friendly atmosphere that surrounds FoodBank Po9 helps to break down the wall between the perceived haves and have nots.

We very much believe in US, we have developed a system that relies on relationships, we have no referral system or qualifying criteria. This particularly benefits the working poor and those who have yet to come out of food poverty, other services limit the support the offer. We have no such judgement. Together we work out the difference between need and greed, identifying underlying pressures and creating a supportive network. We deliver each parcel to the door, when it is appropriate to do so, and in this way, we can develop real human relationships based on mutual needs and an understanding of our community.

Our model is unique, and we are always adapting to the challenges of food poverty in our age, we aim to develop resilience over reliance on food banks, but we have found our current model empowers those in receipt of support to ‘pay back in’ to our bank stock, some even ‘deposit’ with us in case they need support in the future. Other Food Bank models have not been as successful in creating this sense of investment in their community, we are not a faceless charity that does unto the needy, we are much the familiar neighbour whose door you knock to borrow a cup of sugar. We aim to develop a pantry to work alongside this operation where a nominal membership fee affords a subsidised weekly shop and generates income to ensure sustainability.