During 2019-2020 2552 three-day food parcels were given out by Wrexham Foodbank feeding 5818 people, including 2093 children. The Foodbank is run entirely by volunteers and all the food (52,233kg) was donated by members of the public.
But did you know that the Foodbank does a lot more than just provide food parcels to those in crisis?
Befriending and Signposting: Everyone who is referred to the Foodbank is welcomed by volunteers who have been trained to sit with them and listen and signpost to further help wherever possible. We want to help deal with the root causes of poverty and encourage people to make steps on their journey forwards. The Foodbank works closely with over a hundred referral agencies in the area including the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Job Centre, Wrexham Council, schools, churches and many local charities. During this time we are unfortunately unable to provide the usual refreshments and are restricted in the time we can spend chatting with people but we are doing what we can!
Toiletries: Many people donate toiletries as well as food and so these are available for those in need. Free refills on washing up liquid are available to those with containers. We have also partnered with a local project called WINGS (Women In Need Getting Support) offering sanitary products.
Baby Essentials: For groups working with parents who are struggling to provide nappies and other baby essentials we have donations to distribute as requested. We can also refer people to the Home Start Baby Bank for baby equipment.
Pet Food: A small amount of dog and cat food is donated and given out as requested.
Fuel Bank: Organisations such as Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, Groundwork and NEST sometimes provide advice at our Foodbank. We can also refer those on a pre-payment metre who are struggling to pay their gas and electricity bills for a fuel voucher.
Community Money Advice: This Autumn we will be launching a CMA Connect Centre offering face to face support; teaching how to manage a household budget; collecting and collating the client’s financial information; and referring the regulated debt advice to CMA’s team of Hub Debt Advisers.
Eat Well Spend Less: We run two courses, both completely free. A one-off session or a six-week course in nutrition, basic cooking and money management skills. They are run by Foodbank volunteers for participants referred by local groups who feel they would benefit. At the moment these courses are ‘on hold’ but we hope to run them again in 2021.
School Holiday Meals: Wrexham Foodbank partners with the Church in Wales to provide food for school children in Caia Park and Plas Madoc in the school holidays.
Supporting other projects: We share food where possible with other local organisations working with those in crisis e.g. The Salvation Army, Cais Soup Kitchen, Wrexham Feeding the Roofless and Given to Shine.
Prayer: As a Christian based charity one of the things we also offer is prayer for those visiting us. This doesn’t happen for everyone, only if the volunteer feels it is appropriate. Visitors will always be asked if it is ok and if the answer is no that is absolutely fine but we do find many people appreciate the offer.
Campaigning: Wrexham Foodbank joins and promotes social media campaigns. We also contribute data to The Trussell Trust who work with politicians and policy makers to try and improve the lives of everyone in the