It was decided that the Food Bank would stick to a simple process of being an intermediary between those who wished to donate food and those in need of food support. Decisions about who should come would be in the hands of “referral agencies” who would have already assessed the needs of people they were supporting and then referred them to the Food Bank for food support.
These referral agencies were allocated referral forms (each with a unique number) to complete and give to their clients, indicating only the family name, the number of adults and children to be supported and a note to say that they were new to the food bank or returning. Only the numbers involved were to be kept as a permanent record. No other information was to be kept either physically or on the computer.
Donations came through “collection points”, one each in Waitrose and Tesco supermarkets, one in each of the churches in Haslemere and the surrounding area, and one or two others by request in various settings. Lists of required foodstuffs and toiletries were to be sent to each collection point each month and published on our website – haslemerefoodbanktrust.org.
On collection, donations were transferred to the central store, sorted, ‘best-before date marked, and then put on the shelves. From these stored donations, packs for families and individuals were made up each week to be given to those coming with referral forms from the various referral agencies.
Each pack was reckoned to be able to feed a family/individual for 3 days. The venue was chosen because it had a daily café to which anyone could come for a drink and a chat, so that food bank referees would not be easily identified as different from other café users. It also gave the chance to offer hospitality, to provide a drink and a nibble as well as the opportunity to chat, which some people welcomed whilst others preferred as short a visit as possible.
There would always be two volunteers on duty, one to offer hospitality whilst the other exchanged the referral form for the food pack. Volunteers were trained in the practicalities of keeping the store in good order and making up packs but more importantly in making people feel welcome and at home, without being intrusive and whilst maintaining strict confidentiality in relation to any information shared. The system set up back in 2013 has proved to be effective, both in the initial stages of the life of the Food Bank but also in the mighty surge in demand which came with the onset of the covid pandemic in March 2020.
In March 2021, the Food Bank was receiving five times as many requests for support as in March 2020. That this has been coped with and that the system is still intact is very gratifying. It is good to report that the Food Bank works well, within its limited remit. We have a good team of volunteers who have risen to the challenge of the pandemic and we have a generous and widespread set of supporters and donors throughout the surrounding community.
We have good relationships with our collection points and our referral agencies. Nevertheless, we would be much happier if the Food Bank did not need to exist and would be very pleased if demand ceased altogether.
Whilst the Food Bank has brought out the best in those people who make it work, it reflects something of the worst in a comparatively wealthy nation which allows the need for food banks to continue and to increase.