Our food insecurity work within the parish is quite substantial. It has been the first and fullest way we have looked to “invest in our community” (Aims 3). It has been perhaps the best way to say within a sometimes struggling community (and through Covid and Cost of Living crisis)that we are with you. We hope that some pick up to a sense that God is for them. Their doing so or no has no bearing on the support they receive! But we are different we hope in for instance being ready to offer a listening ear and a prayer as well as a package. The core of our staff are church members and others, and some of our best, are not. We have looked to wrap other areas of social action around the hub of the food work as we have seen particular unmet needs. So we have now money/debt advice on offer in both churches (and with partners at St Georges). The new element of Family Support has a similar origin. Different circumstances may bring about different projects to the fore, like hampers at Christmas and a massive effort with our local Councillors during Covid to take Homebaked Christmas pies round to people in their homes (for a Christmas meal in together but apart!) But the following areas of project are our staple diet of activity.
Food Bank has dealt with 710 vouchers in support of 927 adults and 540 children + 90 emergency parcels in the last year alone. This work is about supporting people in crisis and these comments from our “Story book” that people are welcome to write in express the difference it has made for many in the wider community:
"The generosity of the donors and the volunteers in Foodbank is amazing, but the fact that people would starve without it, in the 21st century is criminal!"
"Would like to say a massive Thank You to all the church for helping so many people and also a lot of our tenants at the YMCA. Keep up the good work."
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you’s have really helped us out like you wouldn’t believe it means so much, me and my son thankyou."
"Thank you for today, not eaten for 2 days!! But very very thankful to all wonderful staff, treated like a human being"
You arrive into the back of our big barn of a church for tea/coffee toast and a jangle. You get a raffle ticket (no prizes sorry!) on the way in which gives you your turn in the shop.
The shop area with its freezers, fridges and shelving areas has taken over the “transept” (side bit) of the church. You pay your £3-50 each week you attend and go home with about £15-20 of provisions… so it stretches the budget for you. We have 112 members at present.
We had 2,090 visits from members between Oct 22-Nov 23. That means 174 visits from members each month, which is 40 members a week.
Membership at a pantry is always for those who live within a close range (there is a network of pantries we can point you to if you don't live in our patch) so there is a strong community self help feel about it.
Scouse in the House served 2,818 meals in the period Oct 2022-Nov 2023. Wow!
We get some great characters along to Scouse. Some are more local and some are those who do a tour of whatever hot meals are going in Liverpool. We get told by some that it is the best meal they get all week. And some are there just as much for the company.
Takeaways are also a feature where this can help some more.This is the most longstanding and valuable partnership with LFC over the road. Their chefs have prepared packs of meat stew that we may supplement with extra veg as our “chefs” (they`ll love that!) cook it up onsite.
We imagine that it is the same food that Jurgen gets, only with extra veg in ours! With a Christmas meal over in the stadium, the club have always looked after our scouse crew.