Thank You Staff And Parents Whitehead Primary School

A great big Thank You to the staff and parents of children at Whitehead Primary School for donating a huge pile of food to Whitehead Storehouse to allow us to provide emergency help to disadvantaged families and individuals in Whitehead and surrounding areas.

Many Thanks

Shop Deliveries

A reminder that a number of shops in the area can deliver your orders if you are self-isolating or do not wish to leave the house. More stores can be added if you send details.

With the lock-down, many people will be considering having their goods delivered. The following local stores are providing delivery services to those who do not want to attend the shops.

Whitehead Spar Shop

The local Whitehead Spar shop carries out food deliveries for free in Whitehead and has done so for several years. The Whitehead Spar can be contacted on 028 9337 2344. Note: deliveries are now being extended further around the local area.

Foster’s Fruit And Flowers, Whitehead

Foster’s Fruit And Flowers can be contacted on 028 9337 2755 and can deliver fruit, vegetables etc for free within the town of Whitehead, minimum spend £5.

Ballycarry Day Today

For anyone in Ballycarry, the local shop, Day Today can be contacted on 07709814066 for deliveries to your doorstep.

McKee’s Home Bakery, Whitehead

028 9337 2429 Orders placed before noon will be delivered between 1pm and 3pm the same day. Cash Only service.

McMaster’s Butchers, Whitehead

Can deliver locally and take payment over the phone. Call 028 9335 3313

Rinkha Islandmagee

Contact 02893353229 and ask for Ross or Harry or email ross@therinkha.com

Spar Islandmagee is also understood to be providing deliveries to customers. Their contact details will be added once known.

UK On Lockdown

Donation Sessions For Whitehead Storehouse Suspended

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement at 20.30 on Monday 23 March 2020 that the UK is on Lockdown, Whitehead Storehouse has had to suspend the planned donation sessions at the pastoral centre.

Donations of non-perishable items for use by Whitehead Storehouse (the Whitehead food bank) can still be made at the Spar and these will be collected from there.

Getting Your Food Orders Delivered

With the lockdown, many people will be considering having their goods delivered. The following local stores are providing delivery services to those who do not want to attend the shops.

Whitehead Spar Shop

The local Whitehead Spar shop carries out food deliveries for free in Whitehead and has done so for several years. The Whitehead Spar can be contacted on 028 9337 2344.

Foster’s Fruit And Flowers, Whitehead

Foster’s Fruit And Flowers can be contacted on 028 9337 2755 and can deliver fruit, vegetables etc for free within the town of Whitehead, minimum spend £5.

Ballycarry Day Today

For anyone in Ballycarry the local shop, Day Today can be contacted on 07709814066 for deliveries to your doorstep.

McKee’s Home Bakery, Whitehead

028 9337 2429 Orders placed before noon will be delivered between 1pm and 3pm the same day. Cash Only service.

McMaster’s Butchers, Whitehead

Can deliver locally and take payment over the phone. Call 028 9335 3313

Volunteer With Whitehead Storehouse

UK NOW ON LOCKDOWN FROM 20.30 23 March 2020

This post no longer applies!

Deliveries For People Self Isolating

During the corona virus emergency, Whitehead Storehouse will coordinate volunteers and can act as a central point for arranging deliveries of food and other necessities where necessary, to those who are self isolating and unable to use the local shop delivery services. Local shops have let us know that they will do deliveries. Business names and phone numbers for calling to purchase goods and have them delivered can be found by clicking here.

VOLUNTEERS To Deliver To Those Self Isolating

Although a number of shops have said they will deliver goods to customers, there may still need to be some volunteers to help with this, if the numbers requiring deliveries get too high for the shops to manage. Volunteers who wish to help with deliveries to those who are self isolating or unable to go to the shops to get food, should email Whitehead Storehouse at Whiteheadstorehouse@gmail.com and provide the following information:

Name,
Contact Details,
Availability,
Whether you have access to a car and
Any particular skills you may have

Food Bank

Whitehead Storehouse is the Food Bank for Whitehead, Islandmagee, Ballycarry and Eden. It will remain available to provide emergency food supplies to disadvantaged people in these areas.

Donations For Food Bank

During the current emergency, the Storehouse will open for one hour from 7pm to 8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 12 noon to 1pm on Saturdays, starting Saturday 21st March 2020, to receive donations for the food bank, which is running low on essentials for those who need emergency food bank supplies. Cash donations can also be accepted. The Storehouse is located at the Pastoral Centre at Lourdes Church, Victoria Avenue, Whitehead. Donations can also be left at the Spar Whitehead and Islandmagee.

Donation Items Needed

tinned fruit,
creamed rice,
long life juices,
coffee,
sugar,
instant pasta,
noodles,
cup a soup,
baby food,
pet food,
smash
tinned veg and
cereals.

CoronaVirus Self Isolating

Self Isolation

Some shops in Whitehead and Ballycarry can carry out deliveries to those who are self isolating.

Whitehead Spar Shop

The local Whitehead Spar shop carries out food deliveries for free in Whitehead and has done so for several years. The Whitehead Spar can be contacted on 028 9337 2344.

Foster’s Fruit And Flowers

Foster’s Fruit And Flowers can be contacted on 028 9337 2755 and can deliver fruit, vegetables etc for free within the town of Whitehead, minimum spend £5.

Ballycarry Day Today

For anyone in Ballycarry the local shop, Day Today can be contacted on 07709814066 for deliveries to your doorstep.

Whitehead Storehouse

As well as acting as the local independent food bank, Whitehead Storehouse can act as a contact for those who may need to self isolate, and who have difficulty using the local shops. If you phone the Storehouse number 0759 621 3763, we can get someone to deliver food or other necessary items to you. When you phone, we can also discuss where any items should be delivered, eg leave them on the doorstep. If you prefer to text us, you can use the same number. Check the contact page if you want to email us.

Volunteer

If you would like to volunteer to help with this effort, you can let us know though the contact page, by emailing, texting or phoning.

Food Bank Near Me

Whitehead Storehouse

If you need food urgently and cannot afford to feed yourself or your family, the nearest food bank for people of Whitehead, Islandmagee and Ballycarry is the Whitehead Storehouse, in Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Call or text in complete confidence on 0759 6213 763. Or you can email whiteheadstorehouse@gmail.com. You will get a call back or a text or an email within a few hours from one of our volunteers. We may also be able to help with some other needs.

www.whiteheadstorehouse.com

If you are able to help us with providing food for those in need, you can donate in-date, non-perishable food at any church, the community centre or the Spar shop on Edward Road, Whitehead. Donations also gratefully accepted.

Help Me Information

A new page called HELP ME has been added to the top menu on this website. It contains lists and contact details for other organisations that may be able to help you.

Whitehead Storehouse can supply a 3 day emergency food parcel, containing non-perishable foods and may also be able to help with some fresh foodstuffs and occasionally other needs. These other organisations may be able to help with other needs that you might have.

If you want an app for your smartphone, check out the link to Here2Help, an app you can download to your phone that can help you get the help you need..

The HELP ME page contains a link to a leaflet you can download, with information on organisations in the NORTHERN area of Northern Ireland that provide help to people with certain needs, such as mental health, LGBT, bereavement, debt problems, suicide, homelessness and many, many others. The leaflet can be read online or you can download it to your computer and print it out.

There are also pictures of contact details for other organisations available for help. You can read these details online or you can download the pictures to your computer to check out later. Check out the HELP ME page.

If you contact Whitehead Storehouse, our volunteers will also discuss your needs with you in strictest confidence and may be able to help you find other organisations that may be able to help with any other needs you may have.

Donations Needed January 2020

Now that Christmas and New Year are over, we are into the long, cold month of January, which is difficult for many people, especially those on limited incomes, living in food insecurity – that is, not knowing where their next meal will come from. Whitehead Foodstore has already had 8 new referrals this month from families finding it hard to feed themselves and their children.

Donations of non-perishable food are very welcome and desperately needed so that we are able to provide a 3 day emergency supply of food for those who have none at all.

The graphic gives EXAMPLES of food that could be donated if you are able.

Basically, any non-perishable, nutrient-dense food stuff EXCEPT pasta and tea both of which we have available at present.

Donations could include:

tinned potatoes
tinned vegetables
tinned meats, ham, chicken, corned beef, etc
tinned fish, such as tinned salmon, tuna, sardines, etc
soups, including tins and powdered soups, eg cream of chicken, tomato soup, cup a soup, etc.
peanut butter
desserts, eg, rice, custard and biscuits.
coffee
sugar
jam
cereals, including porridge, ready brek, cornflakes, variety packs
long life milk or dried milk powder
cooking oil, salt and condiments, like pepper or vinegar

Basically, what would YOU want to eat? Can you donate some of that?

If you cannot donate food, can you donate a little money?

Thank you for reading.

Christmas At The Food Bank

Christmas Food And Toy Parcels

Organising food parcels for Christmas is a complex operation, even at a small food bank like Whitehead Storehouse. Add to it a collection of toys that people have donated and a requirement to provide some fresh food over the period when the shops are closed and it requires good organisational skills to:

ensure all the non-perishable food is within date,
the volunteers have all been notified of the dates they are needed,
the local shops have been notified of what fresh food will be needed and
enough large bags and boxes have been gathered together to hold the necessities for the families in need.

Privacy And Dignity

It is important that families and individuals getting help from the food bank retain their privacy. Only a few members of the committee know the names, addresses and circumstances of the families receiving help. The volunteers who pack the parcels know only that parcel 1 is for a single elderly lady, parcel 2 is for a single parent family with a teenage boy and teenage girl and parcel 3 is for a single man and so on.

Getting Organised

Ahead of the meeting time for volunteers to pack up the food boxes, some of the committee members drew up an anonymous list of recipients, giving only details of numbers of people, genders and age ranges in each family unit. The food donated especially for Christmas, such as boxes of biscuits, mince pies, cereal packets, plum puddings, tins of ham and other items such as personal hygiene items, disposable razors, deodorant, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc were arranged on tables in a large hall. The standard non-perishable items such as pasta, tinned soup, jam, tinned tuna and pasta sauces were arranged on their shelves in the storeroom and a large quantity of boxes and large carrier bags were available in one corner. Some of the committee members had also sorted out some appropriate toys for families with children.

Volunteers

The volunteers worked singly or in pairs, taking one family unit at a time and using their own knowledge of what a family eats over Christmas to choose items from the Christmas range and the personal hygiene range, topping up from the standard non-perishable foods with pasta, sauces and tinned soups and vegetables, etc. All the family units would have had something to eat over the Christmas holidays, including tinned ham, possibly tinned fish, vegetables, pasta and sauces and soups, with cereal for breakfast and mince pies and biscuits.

Fresh Food

Most of the food provided by Whitehead Storehouse is of the non-perishable type, the kinds of tins, packets and jars that can sit safely on a shelf until needed by a family on a low income. Being Christmas, though, Whitehead Storehouse also arranged for a fresh chicken to be available for each family unit receiving a Christmas box. These were only delivered to a local store late on Monday afternoon, the day before Christmas Eve and had to be delivered out along with some of the hampers.

Deliveries

Deliveries require co-ordinating those with cars, helpers and making sure the recipient will be there to receive the food.

Complex Operation

This was a complex operation but everything worked well together, to ensure that no family in Whitehead that was known about went hungry over Christmas 2019

If You Need Help

If you are having difficulty feeding yourself or your family or you have other needs related to low income, please do not hesitate to contact Whitehead Storehouse on 0759 621 3763 to discuss your needs. You can either phone, or send a text. The phone is checked every day, though it may take a couple of hours before you get a reply. You can also contact us through the contact page, which will send an email.

What Can I Donate To Help

If you want to donate to the Whitehead Storehouse, the following list shows examples of what can be accepted. All items must be non-perishable, Whitehead Storehouse food bank cannot accept fresh food or perishable items such as fresh milk or bread, although these can be provided to individuals / families if necessary but will be purchased at the time by the Storehouse. Some families or individuals have limited access to cooking facilities and so need cold parcels or kettle parcels, to provide at least some food. There is also a need for other, non-food items.

Needed At The Moment

coffee

sugar

jam

tinned potatoes

tinned meats

tinned vegetables

desserts, eg, rice, custard and biscuits.

Non Food Items

Sanitary and hygiene products

Nearest Food Bank To Me

What Is A Food Bank?

Foodbanks are charitable, non-profit organisations that collect food donations and pass them out to those in need of food because they do not have enough money to buy it. There are many food banks available in the UK, providing food and other emergency essentials to people struggling to manage, so that no one goes without food in an emergency. If you are referred to a food bank, or contact your independent food bank, you will get food for at least three days, as well as help to find other places that can help with your long-term needs.

The donations can come from individuals, companies or manufacturers for instance and are collected through schools, local shops, community organisations and also some of the big stores, who provide baskets near their exits for customers to add purchased items to.

How To Get Food From A Food Bank

Independent food banks can provide food immediately you ask. If there are none near you, you will need to get a referral to the local centre for a Trussell Trust food bank from someone like the Citizens Advice Centre or your doctor, a charity or a social worker. They can tell you how to get food from the food bank. The Citizens Advice Centre will probably make an appointment for you with an adviser who can discuss your whole situation, including whether you have any family, your income and needs. If you are eligible for the food bank they will give you a voucher or tell you how to access it.

What Food Will I Get?

Food banks attempt to provide enough nutritionally balanced food to last for three days, as an emergency stop gap. They will try to meet your dietary needs, within the limits of what they have available. Where necessary, they may buy special food. Some individuals or families have difficulty obtaining enough electricity or gas to be able to cook food. (They often have a choice between heating or eating). In these cases, food banks may supply cold packs containing food that can be eaten cold, or kettle packs, containing food that can be prepared with boiled water. These packs may not be nutritionally balanced, however, it is better to have some food, than none.

Food Bank Near Me

In Whitehead, there is an independent food bank available, called the Whitehead Storehouse. This also services Ballycarry, Islandmagee and Eden. There are also local food banks in Carrickfergus and Larne. The nearest food bank to Whitehead is the Whitehead Storehouse, an independent food bank.

How To Donate To A Food Bank

Food bank donations can be made easily in many large stores, which have tubs available near the exits where you can leave non-perishable items which will be collected or delivered to food banks. In many areas, you can leave donated items into the local churches, community centres or schools. In Whitehead, the churches and community centre and the local Spar shop on Edward Road all have collection tubs where you can leave items. You can also donate money. This is used to provide emergency items that are not available in the food bank or to buy items that are in low stock.

Food Bank Volunteer

Most food banks are happy to have volunteers to sort and pack food or work in an administrative capacity. Whitehead Storehouse is happy to use volunteers for a few hours to pack food boxes.

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