Southend Foodbank opened six years ago in November 2013. This month we will be reflecting on those six years and the challenges we face as we look ahead.
In the first six years of Southend Foodbank, we have:
- Provided 3-days food to more than 23,300 people including 9700 children
- Received more than 9600 referrals from frontline services and care professionals
- Given more than 200 tonnes of food
- Welcomed guests from every part of Southend and Rochford
90% of referrals have come from Kursaal, Milton, Victoria, Chalkwell, St Luke’s, Southchurch, West Shoebury, Shoeburyness, Westborough, Prittlewell, Bleinheim Park, St Laurence and Belfairs. However, every ward across Southend and Rochford has had at least one household needing to visit us.
Every year has been busier than the previous year. Winter is our busiest time of year, when people struggle to pay for heating and lighting as well as food. 2019 has been much busier than 2018, on average we’re feeding an extra 100 people more each month than in 2018. Put those together and we see the next few months as being our most challenging yet.
Every foodbank guest is unique but we also see trends in the reasons people are referred to us. In 2019, low income and problems with benefit payments are the biggest problems pushing people towards needing a foodbank, as well as debt, sickness and domestic violence.
Give #6forSouthend
To mark 6 years of Southend Foodbank and to help us help local people struggling to put food on their table we’re asking people to donate £6 for 6 years of the foodbank.
Donate to the #6forSouthend campaign on Virgin Giving virginmoneygiving.com/fund/6forSouthend
Alternatively, you can make a donation through:
- Paypal www.paypal.com/uk/fundraiser/charity/3229006
- Wonderful.org wonderful.org/charity/southendfoodbank
- Make a direct payment from your bank or send a cheque, details on southend.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-money/
Supporting the future of the foodbank
One of the long-term goals of the foodbank is to become obsolete. We are part of the Trussell Trust network of foodbanks and support Trussell’s work campaigning to end the need for foodbanks in the UK. Read more about Trussell Trust’s work finding out what has been causing more people to turn to a foodbank, what can change and how you can help www.stateofhunger.org/