INTRODUCING THE BLACKPOOL FOOD PARTNERSHIP - LETTER TO THE CHURCHES LENT 2013

 A printable copy of this information can be dowloaded from

 https://dl.dropbox.com/u/89023969/Introducing%20BFP%20%26%20lent%20appeal.pdf

together with a poster for your noticeboard  https://dl.dropbox.com/u/89023969/blackpool%20food%20partnership%20poster.pdf

The Need

There are hundreds of people in Blackpool who struggle to make ends meet and who from time to time find they are so penniless they cannot feed themselves or their families. Many churches and community groups already offer help on a small scale with food parcels or vouchers given out to callers as they feel appropriate. They report rapidly rising demand and there is an expectation that this will increase dramatically from April 2013 when changes and cuts in welfare benefits are implemented.

The Network

Over the last few months Together-Lancashire has been organising a series of meetings of church leaders with staff and volunteers in homelessness and community projects with a view to establishing and strengthening a Blackpool wide network of food bank projects, with a co-ordinated approach to sourcing food and eligibility criteria and referral practices. There has been enthusiasm for working together from key players including member bodies of Churches Together in Blackpool and the Blackpool Homelessness Partnership, the Saint Vincent de Paul society and the Blackpool Food Bank manged by Oasis Church.

The Project

Methodist Action North West has agreed to take on the management of the service and to provide some staffing resources and will be setting up a local steering group composed of representatives of the churches and voluntary groups in the network. We are working on agreed policies and procedures, seeking to identify a central storage depot, and in conversations with Blackpool Council about some posibilities of funding and partnership. We are working with a wider coalition of Churches and charities across the whole of Lancashire to address underlying issues of food poverty and to source free or cheap foodstuffs in bulk from the food supply industry. We hope to have a major launch event for the partnership sometime in April 2013.

Our Ethos

We have agreed that the partnership will be presented in public as an ecumenical Christian initiative and will seek to maintain a Christian ethos as we work together for the common good. The project is not intended to be evangelistic or to persuade clients to attend a church, although Christians involved in the work will be at liberty to speak appropriately about their faith and motivations for service, giving respect to others who may have different views. We are committed to serve the whole community in the town and offer support to people of all faiths and none. We welcome contributions and gifts of food, funding and voluntary labour from anyone across the community.

How you can help

There are four main ways churches and communities can help the partnership develop

1. collecting and donating non perishable foodstuffs
2. raising funds or donating money to the project
3. volunteering your time to work with us
4. setting up a distribution depot in your church or centre to serve clients from your neighbourhood.

DONATIONS OF FOOD  

• we are grateful to receive donations from individuals, churches, or other groups and organisations. Please bring them to North Shore Methodist Church on Wednesday Mornings-up to 1pm.
• the main items required are non perishable foods:

cans of: meat, fish , stews, soups, vegetables (potatoes, beans, carrots, peas, sweetcorn etc), fruit, creamed rice, custard, other desserts

dried foods: pasta, rice, noodles (including pot noodles), small variety packs of breakfast cereals, biscuits. small packets of other items: such as teabags, coffee, sugar, snacks.

• please note all items must be "in date" or they will have to be dumped.
• If you belong to a church, community group or school you could perhaps think about:

finding a volunteer to take charge of promoting the project. having a collecting box in your church or community centre. asking your congregation or community to buy a couple of extra cans or packets when out shopping and donate them

making a regularly monthly delivery to

Perhaps you could begin with a Lent appeal to maximise our stocks before the launch in April, then later in the year use harvest and Christmas for seasonal appeals.

Fund Raising

We would love to hear from individuals, churches or businesses who would like to support the project through donations of money or by suggestions for fundraising events. Donations from individual taxpayers can be Gift aided via Methodist Action NW.. (Donations Payable to Methodist Action NW and designated for Blackpool Food Partnership)

Volunteering

The project needs volunteers working within your own local centres and churches and also centrally.to help with

• sorting and packing food parcels
• driving and transporting materials
• helping with administration and fundraising
• to staff the distribution points (including spending time talking with and listening to clients' stories and signposting them to other services that can help
• persuading supermarkets to support us with collection points

Local Depots

Iniitially the service will be developed in the town centre using premises of the Methodist church. However within in six months we can envisage distribution depots in various part of Blackpool such as South Shore, Mereside, Bishpham/Cleveleys and Layton/Grange Park . If your church or centre is interested please contact us.

Donations of food can be delivered to North Shore Methodist Church on Wednesday Mornings  around noon, or ring Phil Moore to arrange alternatives on 07407760572.

For all other offers of help please contact

Stephen Read-Moore, Operations Manager, Methodist Action (North West) Ltd Tel. 01772 751000 Mob. 07769 291536 or email Stephen.Read-Moore@methodistaction.co.uk