SALFORD foodbank is planning to expand its centres after raising £3,000 to build a new branch in Eccles and Swinton in early 2018.
Salford Foodbank is working in partnership with Connect Church in Eccles and have raised the initial costs to get the building organised to operate. The new site in Eccles will be the third foodbank to open in the Salford area with the main site located in Lower Broughton and an extension site in Salford Quays.
Over 3000 people in Salford visit one of the two existing foodbanks in the city per month, 1400 of those being children under the age of 18. It is estimated that at least 1,500 three-day care packages will be distributed within the Eccles area each year.
Manager of Salford Foodbank, Mark Whittington expressed to Quays News the desperate need for another foodbank in the area: “For the first six months in 2017 we gave out 2,737 3-day emergency food parcels, which was 78% more than the same period last year. Because of this, we wanted to open new centres in areas that we more central to Salford and that had good transport links.”
Forming a third foodbank centre in another part of Salford will help people who may have struggled to access the other current centres. The new centre in Eccles will be located close to the centre so will be easily accessible via public transport for people travelling from other parts of the city. “We wanted to open new centres in areas that we more central to Salford and that had good transport links. As well as opening a new centre in a few weeks, we will also be opening another centre in Swinton in Feb 2018.”
Help us open a new foodbank centre in Eccles in just a few weeks time to help feed local people #ecclesfoodbankhttps://t.co/PrWrCrnVhN pic.twitter.com/kq9z45BV1W
— Salford Foodbank (@SalfordFoodbank) September 11, 2017
Salford Foodbank is a part of The Trussell Trust’s UK-wide food bank network who help local churches and communities nationwide to open foodbanks providing emergency good packages to thousands of people each year.
Although seventy agencies work with the food bank in Salford including beauty brand Loreal, Mark expresses that more fundraising needs to be done locally. “Funding is a big thing, this year we have had to purchase more food than ever before. About 95% of donations come from the general public, churches and other organisations”.
There are already over thirty volunteers who work across both centres in Salford who work with the community providing an advisory service to help prevent family breakdown, housing loss, crime and mental health issues. They can also signpost clients to any further support that they and their family may need.
Mark also told us how people’s opinion on food banks are generally changing for the positive: “There is still a misunderstanding about what we do and how we work. Certain media continue to be very negative and question how we help and whether there is an actual need. Salford food banks are living proof of how many families are helped each month.”
It is estimated that at least 50% of people using Salford foodbanks, is a result of their benefits being delayed and people working zero hour contracts. The charity highly relies on donations from local charities, residents and companies.
Opening #ecclesfoodbank centre in Oct but stocks are very low –
£20 will pay for a 3-day emergency food parcel: https://t.co/zBBZ0OwRIv pic.twitter.com/mCvhOwci0F— Salford Foodbank (@SalfordFoodbank) September 18, 2017
If you would like to donate please click here. The new Salford Foodbank in Eccles is due to open to public on Friday 27th October between 11am-1pm.
For more information on where and the many ways to donate to food banks across Greater Manchester please visit their website.
Recent Comments