WITH the cost-of-living crisis still impacting millions of lives across the UK and the Government’s decision to place benefit funding in its sights, foodbanks remain an integral part of society.
That is especially the case for West Cheshire Foodbank, based in Stanney Mill close to Ellesmere Port, as it battles to help people in desperate need of help, never knowing whether a settled and secure long-term future is in grasp.
With its headquarters set across three units in a small warehouse, foodbank staff and volunteers carry out the daily task of sorting donations of food and toiletries, mainly, that can be given out to those in need across much of the region.
Jo Jardine, operations manager, set out the work they do, where they impact and laid to rest some falsehoods about foodbanks being a lifestyle decision, explaining that even people in full-time work need help.
Some of the donations ready to be sorted at West Cheshire Foodbank. (Image: Newsquest.) She said: “We currently have 19 sessions that we run over Cheshire West with rural sessions too as we go as far afield as Malpas.
“But the majority of our sessions are around the Chester and Ellesmere Port areas, and they are staffed by volunteers.
“When someone comes in with a voucher, which they will have before they come, in the form of a code, we will issue them with three days’ worth of emergency food.
“Per visit, that is the maximum they receive but some people will need to come back again.
“For example, people who are on Universal Credit they have a five week wait before they get their benefit so they might have to come back over a few weeks.
“We monitor that and we do aim for six vouchers/six months and no more and then we would be signposting people to further support.
“In some of our sessions, we have financial inclusion workers from Citizen Advice and they offer support around debt management and any benefits that people need to try to prevent their return to the foodbank.
“We’ve seen a significant number of people who come to the foodbank who are working because their wages aren’t covering the cost of living.
Some of the financial donations at West Cheshire Foodbank. (Image: Newsquest.)
"We’re seeing a significant number of older people or pensioners who aren’t able to avoid their essentials.
“It isn’t just that they’re given a voucher, there’s a screening process they have to go through before it’s issued.
“Our biggest referrer is the help scheme run through Cheshire West and there’s lots of questions to be asked such as what is the reason for accessing it.
“This is so we can get a picture of why people are coming.”
Listening to the chatter of the volunteers in the warehouse, four or five people who wholeheartedly believe in the work they do, Jo is honest about the visions of and hopes for the foodbank.
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She added: “For most people, this is the end of the process and ideally, they never come back – that’s what we’d like to see.
“It is very difficult to see who refers and comes back again because the figures go up and down based on the benefits and access.
“When they do come back though, they are at crisis point and our sessions can also be that they have a coffee and a chat.
“Sometimes they will get food at our sessions as well – it’s not just ‘here’s your food, away your go’, but a much more holistic approach.
“Ideally too, we wouldn’t exist at all – that’s our mission statement in that we don’t want to be here.
“But if foodbanks didn’t exist, what would people do without it? That’s the question I ask.
“Our main job is to provide three days’ worth of emergency food but that’s not all we do.
“It depends on what donations we receive but if people turn up to a session and yes, they get the food, but they might have a baby.
“Of we’ve got the donations then we can hand out toiletries needed but we don’t hand out baby food.”
In this, the first of several focuses on the foodbank to amplify its work, we finish on what underpins the work – donations and money.
Donations come largely from supermarkets whether it’s the businesses passing on or customers taking specialised lists to pass on for items that are in short supply.
Volunteers sort donations at West Cheshire Foodbank. (Image: Newsquest.)
Jo said: “(What we do) depends on what we’re given.
“Donations are down at the moment and we’re in a dip with our sessions, but we seem to see rises and falls throughout the year.
“In the summer, with foodbanks in general, everything is down and there’s fewer people coming in than there is over the winter.
“The other thing to affect how much is going out is the household support fund, which is available through Cheshire West.
“We will see fewer people if money is available elsewhere and holidays too through the activity fund, that can see a dip in our numbers.
“That shows that when genuine affordable support is put in place, people certainly manage better.”
To support the foodbank, head to https://westcheshire.foodbank.org.uk/
