Whitehead Storehouse

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.

What is A Food Bank

In this country, it is expected that no one will be left to starve, but things can happen.

It is said that anyone is only 3 missed paychecks from being on the street. For many people, unexpected events like relationship breakdown, accident, illness, disability or unemployment can mean that someone, or even a whole family is left in poverty or destitute and even with no food. It is distressing for anyone to go hungry and even more when parents cannot feed their children. Knowing where to find an emergency food source is then critical.

What Is A Food Bank

A food bank is a place where food is kept until needed by a person or family in distress. The food is non-perishable (packets and tins) donated by shops or individuals and collected in a number of local places like churches, schools, community centres and donation points in local stores. The collected items are sent to the food bank and sorted by volunteers. When someone needs food, they are pointed in the direction of a food bank by someone, such as a social worker, medical professional or a friend. Usually, they are given a 3 day supply of nutritionally balanced food, to tide them over until they get some money.

Some food banks can provide fresh food and others provide other services such as a listening service for people in crisis.

What Is Non Perishable Food

This is food like tinned soups, beans, pasta, tinned meat, fish, milk, vegetables and fruit, packet cereals, long life milk, tea, coffee, packets of lentils, rice, peas, anything that is in date and that can be stored without a fridge for a long time. These kinds of food are donated at local collection points and sent to the food banks.

Whitehead Food Bank

There is a food bank in Whitehead, County Antrim. It is called the Whitehead Storehouse. You can contact it directly by email or phone.

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