West Somerset Food Cupboard Newsletter, August 2023
West Somerset Food Cupboard Newsletter,
July 31, 2023
Dear friends and supporters of the
West Somerset Food Cupboard
Well, the school holidays are upon us and while you might think that this is an extra busy time for us at the Food Cupboard, the last couple of years have shown a slight decline in requests for food support during August. Most of our food parcels are distributed via local partner agencies who provide specialist support alongside food, so if staff in those agencies are taking their well-deserved annual leave to enjoy a summer break, there is a risk that the normal channels for food support are briefly interrupted. Please get in touch if you or someone you know is struggling. We can help fill the summer gap. And check out our WSFC Facebook page to find out more about cheap or free summer eat-out and school uniform offers.
We are grateful to Morrisons Minehead for inviting us to spend a day in the store recently, to raise awareness of the local food bank and let customers know how and where they can donate, and how they can access food support if needed. Thanks for having us Morrisons! And thanks also to Tesco, Lidl and Alcombe Co-op for your continued support.
If you'd like us to come to your shop/club/church/community venue to let your community know what the WSFC is all about, please get in touch.
Any non-perishable food items are gratefully received. This month we would really appreciate:
Tinned hot dogs or meatballs
Tinned sweetcorn or carrots
Tinned cold meat
Jars of pasta sauce
Chocolate/sweet treats
Biscuits
Individual cartons of juice
Cup-a-soups or Pot Noodles
In July 2023, we and our partner organisations distributed 102 food parcels made up of donated non-perishable food; a total of 872 so far this year, compared with 640 this time last year.
Special thanks to the Rotary Club of Minehead for their ongoing support, including monthly food collections and for helping keep our collection/delivery volunteers safe by funding high vis jackets for the team, modelled by the lovely Clare, Cally and Judy.
Another thank you, this time to Beth and Charlie from the Connection Cafe for coming to the Tuesday Pantry recently. They were able to support our members with all things mobile device, online services and app related. Thanks for coming! We are enjoying beautiful summer veg at Pantry at the moment, not just from our regular supplier Fareshare South West, but also from lots of local growers, who generously drop their surplus produce off to us on Tuesday mornings. A big thank you to them, including our friends at Good Vibe Veg, Horner and also to the The Red Larder, Roadwater for the beef mince, and Styles Ice-Cream for ice-cream and sorbet. Find out more about the Pantry Network in Somerset here, and look out for the Minehead team: Somerset Pantry Network Film. Our membership at the Minehead Pantry is currently full. We hold a waiting list for new members.
We were happy to welcome High Sheriff of Somerset Robert Drewett to the Pantry last week. He came to find out more about how the West Somerset Food Cupboard works, to offer his support and to help distribute the marrow mountain.
With best wishes from the West Somerset Food Cupboard team
Email:
Tel: 07795 080637
Website: www.wsfoodcupboard.org.uk
Charity No: 1198591
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New double doors into the food cupboard improving access and making better use of the space
