Donations wanted for food collection bank at District Council offices

Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Warwickshire Financial Inclusion Partnership, the Trussell Trust and Tesco are working together as part of Focus on Food Week running next week.

A shopping trolley kindly donated by the local Stratford Tesco branch will be in the main reception area at the District Council offices on Church Street, Stratford-upon-Avon as a collection point for food donations from Monday 11 to Friday 15 November, to provide emergency food to local people in crisis.  Volunteers from the Stratford Food Bank and Warwickshire County Council will also be on hand at the District Council Offices to take any donations personally from 10am to 3pm on Friday 15 November.

Simply pick an item or two from the shopping list and bring your donations to the District Council offices.  All food donated at the District Council foodbank collection will go directly to help local people in need.

The aim of 'Focus on Food Week' is to raise awareness about food poverty and healthy eating on a budget and Love Food Hate Waste including:

• Sharing information on foodbanks, lunch clubs and allotments
• Co-ordinating food activities eg cookery demonstrations
• Volunteering at foodbanks and donations to foodbanks
• Challenge of living on £10 per week

To find out more information about food banks within Stratford-on-Avon District please visit http://www.trusselltrust.org/

UK Foodbanks

• The Trussell Trust partners with churches and communities to open new foodbanks nationwide. With almost 400 foodbanks currently launched, their goal is for every town to have one.
  
  
• Foodbanks help prevent crime, housing loss, family breakdown and mental health problems. A simple box of food makes a big difference.
  
  
• All food is donated by the public and sorted by volunteers. Frontline care professionals such as doctors and social workers identify people in crisis and issue a food voucher. Clients receive three days of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food in exchange for their food voucher. Foodbanks also make time to chat and to signpost clients to other helpful services.

Shopping list:

Milk (UHT or powdered)
Sugar (500g)
Fruit juice (carton)
Soup
Pasta sauces
Sponge pudding (tinned)
Tomatoes (tinned)
Cereals
Rice pudding (tinned)
Tea Bags/instant coffee
Instant mash potato
Rice/pasta
Tinned meat/fish
Tinned fruit
Jam
Biscuits or snack bar