Norwich foodbank to feed 4000 people in 2012
The Christian-based Norwich foodbank has started the new year in a new office, with nine distribution centres and an appeal for more volunteers to help feed as estimated 4000 local people in crisis in the next 12 months. Project manager Grant Habershon reports.
In the last 6 months of 2011, Norwich foodbank fed 1,760 local people in crisis with three days’ worth of food via introductions from over 80 local care agencies. We are only able to give out our emergency foodboxes because of the wonderful continued support we receive from so many different local organisations and individuals.
In December we increased the number of our Distribution Centres to nine and we expect to open further Centres in the next few months. With this growth and with the current economic background we have plans in place to provide emergency food for well over 4,000 local people in 2012.
 To meet this expected increased demand we will be extending the days and hours we sort and pack food at our warehouse so from Monday January 30 we will be opening our warehouse on a Monday between 10am and 1pm and on a Friday from 9.30am and 3.30pm.
The warehouse is a modern unit at Unit 14, Henderson Industrial Unit, Ivy Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR5 8BF which is situated just off the Bowthorpe Road. Therefore we are now looking for more volunteers to help. Whether people can give just a couple of hours a month or want to come to all sessions we would be pleased to hear from you. Please ring 07955 920590 or email foodnorwichproject@hotmail. co.uk for more details. Please note that there is very little heating in the warehouse and so warm clothes are needed at this time of year.
In 2012 we will have more Supermarket Collections. This month we had a great time at Tesco's on Ipswich Road where we had 10 volunteers from Notre Dame School plus staff at the supermarket helping our volunteers collect the food throughout the day.
Our next collection is at Waitrose in Eaton on Saturday February 4 where we are looking for volunteers. We have split the day into 3 shifts 1000 - 1130, 1130 - 1300 and 1300 - 1430 To volunteer for a shift or to get more details ring 07955 920590 or email jean.gotts@yahoo.co.uk.
If you cannot help at this collection but would like to get involved in future ones, we have one planned at Morrisons at Riverside on Friday March 16, another one at Sainsburys Pound Lane on Wed April 18. and then we will have a special collection at Asda on Saturday May 19 where we are aiming to have the "Largest Supermarket foodbank collection ever in the UK".
We will be looking for this to be a high profile fun day and expect to have eight 90-minute shifts during the day. Could you get a team of volunteers together from an organisation to volunteer for a shift?
This Asda Collection will come at the end of a "Foodbank Awareness Week" we will be running between May 13 and 19.
Thanks to a grant from NELM Development Trust we have this week been able to move into a superb office at the Henderson Business Centre which is just behind the wonderful warehouse unit which NELM have also provided for us. This will enable us to develop our administration and PR side and so we will be able to provide updates, support and information on a more regular basis.
Pictured above are Norwich Foodbank volunteers packing foodboxes from the recent Christmas appeal.
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