Access to Food Partnership

How can you and your business help local food support services this coming #GivingTuesday? As the festive season approaches, many of our food support partners are working around the clock to support those in our communities who are struggling to put food on the table. If you are looking to support local people, here are a few ways you can make a meaningful impact: 🥫Organise a food drive: Encourage your colleagues and customers to donate non-perishable food items, setting up collection points at your office, depot, or shop. These can either be dropped off directly to a local food support service or at a supermarket. We would recommend you contact them first to see what items are most in need. 🚶Volunteer time: Dedicate a day or a few hours for your team to volunteer at a local food support service or food bank. Some of our partners need help putting together Christmas parcels, or to drum up and collect donations at a local supermarket. Support is needed all year round.   💷Monetary donations: Consider making a financial contribution, either through a collection, a sponsored activity, or a direct donation. Even a small donation can go a long way in helping them purchase essential items and support more local families. 🤳Raise awareness: Use your social media platforms to raise awareness about the importance of supporting local food support services. Please follow the Access to Food Partnership on Facebook and help share our posts! While the holiday season is a great time to start, it's important to remember that help is needed all year round. Food insecurity doesn't take a break after the holidays, and your support throughout the year can make a difference every day. Food support comes in many different ways and includes food banks, community fridges, community meals and food kitchens. To find your nearest food support service visit our online Map App: https://lnkd.in/eaffNzxv  #AccesstoFood #CorporateResponsibility #MakeADifference #YearRoundSupport 

Since its humble beginnings 10 years ago, Hope For Food, an Access to Food partner, has grown to provide a host of food services alongside additional support for the homeless and those experiencing poverty. So, what’s the secret to its success? Mary Duncan, Operations Manager explains. “When we started, we were keen to support as many people as possible by providing a wide range of services. However, as Hope for Food is run entirely by volunteers, our resources became stretched so it was decided to focus on what we were good at – offering food and essentials to those in need rather than large household goods and furnishings. We want to provide on-the-ground support. “The service just wouldn’t be able to function without the help from our wonderful team of volunteers. They come from all walks of life - for example, we have plumber, a builder, a graphic designer and a communications manager who all give up their time after work. We also have a retired financial advisor and teacher. “This pool of people has a wealth of local contacts, enabling us to link in with businesses and get the word out. Through these connections we are thankful to receive donations of fresh and sliced meat, fruit and veg, eggs, biscuits, chocolates, toiletries and cleaning supplies. At Christmas, one of our busiest periods, we also open our doors to corporate volunteers who help us to assemble and send out over 300 Christmas parcels. “We work hard to promote Hope for Food as we are an independent, local charity. We are active on social media and are lucky to have a small team of communications volunteers who help to drive our campaigns and regularly post content. It’s really important to publicly thank donations as this might lead to more! “We want people in the local community to recognise Hope for Food and its work, so I regularly go out to meet with various businesses, community, and church groups to talk about what we do and rally support. “We’ve recently redesigned our website to make it clearer for visitors to see the depth and breadth of our work – to show we aren’t only a food bank and offer a range of support services. A regular blog helps to highlight what we are up to, and we also create and share downloadable template posters and material to make it easier for people to fundraise. “We are truly blessed to have a team of people who have a variety of talents and connections, and we use it to our advantage. We are also not afraid to ask for help and rarely pass up on anything offered!” To find out more about Hope for Food visit their website: www.hopeforfood.org.uk Dorset Chamber BCP Council Bournemouth Daily Echo #bournemouth #poole #christchurchdorset #accesstofood #foodsupport

Our online Map App has had a glow up! Working with local agency V88, who specialise in no-code business solutions, the revamp comes at a key time for food support services as they start to see an increase in requests as we move into winter and the festive season. The re-designed web app now makes it even easier and quicker for families and individuals to find local food support across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, whether this be a food bank if they have a referral, a free or low-cost meal, or surplus food through a social supermarket or community fridge. It also now has a 'What's open now' feature, and a current list of services including opening times (the newly designed app makes it easier for us to update should there be a change to a service or opening hours, greatly improving the user experience). The new-look Map App came be found at: https://lnkd.in/eaffNzxv so please help spread the word.

The hard work and contribution of over 130 volunteers from food support services across BCP was recognised and praised at our recent end-of-summer party. Alistair Doxat-Purser, who leads the partnership, was joined by BCP Council Chair Cllr Lesley Dedman, Mayor of Poole Cllr Pete Miles, Deputy Mayor of Bournemouth Cllr Anne Filer, and Deputy Mayor of Christchurch Cllr Vivienne Charrett to offer their gratitude to individuals who give up their time for free to help families and individuals in need.  Partner volunteers provide a range of additional food support through food banks, community fridges, social supermarkets, community cafes, and emergency food services. With 1 in 6 local households in food insecurity, unable to afford food essentials, many food services would simply not be able to run without volunteers.  “Our partner volunteers are the frontline of kindness. The moment when someone comes into one of the 80 plus food settings across BCP they meet someone who is there for them," said Alistair. “They don’t just provide food ... they collect food surplus, pack food parcels, make teas, provide advice and a listening ear, and, in some cases, sit down with someone to cook or eat with them. They make a real difference to people’s lives, with many of those that are helped also becoming volunteers.” Held at the Parkstone United Church, each project received a framed accolade of thanks. Volunteers also enjoyed clay modelling and leaf printing activities provided by The Parks Foundation and a buffet and drinks thanks to donations and support from Hall & Woodhouse Ltd, The Italian Bakery Wareham, Tesco and Sainsbury's and social supermarket Poole waste Not want Not. Many food projects continue to seek volunteers. If you can commit some time to support, either as an individual or through your business, contact your local community food project – a list can be found on the Access to Food Partnership Map App: https://lnkd.in/eD8Stdhs

Thank you to all our partner volunteers who joined us last week as we recognised and celebrated your hard work and dedication. You really are "the frontline of kindness". With your help, our partnership of food support projects feed families and individuals in need and ensure they have good, nutritious food. A massive thank you!

A busy summer has resulted in a dip in food donations at local food banks and community fridges. Can your business help replenish stocks? There are lots of ways your business can help: 🥫Organise a food collection at your workplace, or encourage your colleagues to make donations at their local supermarket. You can find your nearest food bank or support service on the Access to Food Map App: https://lnkd.in/eXZKp4_M 💵 Consider making a charitable donation to your local food support project, or arrange a collection. The money will be spent on the items most in need. 🥪If you are a local restaurant, cafe or food producer, you may have surplus food that you can donate. There are community fridges across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole that can come and collect - our Map App has a list. Our partners help families and individuals from all walks of life, many who are experiencing short term food insecurity due to a change in circumstance, for example illness, job loss or increase in rent/mortgage payments. Any help you can provide is much appreciated.

Last week we came together as a partnership to share ideas, connect, and discuss ways we support families and individuals impacted by food insecurity in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. With food insecurity inextricably linked to social and environmental issues such as poverty, homelessness, ill/mental health and unemployment, many of our partners no longer just provide food but a range of additional advice and support. Among others, we heard how: * Attendees of a recent free cookery course were empowered to become volunteers and run their own food courses, supporting others in the local community to learn basic cooking skills.  * After months of struggling to get help, we supported an individual on probation to get back on his feet, offering work experience in a food setting and providing careers advice so that he could take his first steps back into employment.  * We not only provided food but wellbeing and housing advice to a young homeless man. With our support, he got a roof over his head and found an apprenticeship.  * We supported a Syrian refugee to use her cookery skills to teach others and provide meals for a community lunch club. She has since set up her own catering business. As a partnership of public sector, community, voluntary and grassroot organisations, we are tremendously proud of the work we do to ensure everyone can access food in a crisis and the additional support we provide to build people's resilience so they are less likely to need food services in the future. To find out more about what we do, and how we work with businesses, visit: https://lnkd.in/emhkt5ne 

🤩Meet the people behind the Access to Food Partnership🤩 Ian Stoney joined Jimmy’s Poole Food Bank as Project Manager in March, using his years in leisure and retail management to strengthen the service and help the most vulnerable. “Our food bank provides much more than food. We provide lasting support to those that are struggling financially, emotionally and mentally, working closely with our FAITHWORKS partners such as Community Money Advice (CMA) and SMILE who create community for lone parents. We also have partnerships with Shelter and Victim Support. “We equip people with the skills and ‘know how’ to cook cheap and nutritious meals, providing recipe bags with fresh meat, dairy, vegetables and fruit and offering ‘cooking on a budget’ courses. We have also provided kitchen equipment from simple can openers for those that have relocated due to homelessness or domestic abuse, to slow cookers and air fryers to help struggling families further reduce their energy costs. “We very much rely on the kind donations we receive from individuals and businesses to help us maintain our food supplies and cover our running costs. Donations are always needed throughout the year. "In particular a financial donation means we can buy specific items as and when needed. It can also go towards improving our facilities, for example creating an environment where we can listen to visitors and understand their situation. "If you can help, or would like to discuss ways your business and employees can get involved or support, please get in touch." #accesstofood #poolefood #poolefoodbank

Where do you store 30 frozen turkeys and hundreds of bags of veg donated late on Christmas Eve? At a One Stop Glut Hut! Last December we set up a temporary storage unit, the One Stop Glut Hut, to store and distribute over 3,000 kilograms of donated supermarket food to residents.  With a £7,500 grant from the BCP Council Food and Energy Support Fund, we purchased fridges, freezers and storage units, setting up in a vacant hall provided by the Bournemouth Foodbank.   George, our temporary project officer, helped manage the 24-hour facility, worked with partners and food donors, and set up a member’s agreement and sign in system. We also produced ‘how to’ videos to help partners safely store food, and shared regular updates on deliveries on a WhatsApp group. It was used by 15 of our partners who worked around the clock to get the food out to vulnerable residents. It was all about the veg though, and some surprises! Supermarkets are now more targeted in their Christmas food buying, so we saw a marked decline in meat and poultry. With the glut of tomatoes, potatoes, carrot and cream we were able to whizz them up to make soups and stews to be served at community meals and dinners for the homeless. An expected delivery of ice-cream and pizza dough was used at a Christmas party for refugees and struggling families while six, eighty litre bags of Cornish pasties were eaten by guests at a social canteen. We did, however, go beyond the partnership to share unexpected donations. A baby charity was able to collect and store formula milk and nappies, while dog food was sent to a local dog homing charity.   So, what were the lessons learnt? If we did it again, we would consider more ways to use the surplus food, for example by freezing, preserving or using as part of a recipe. By working together and understanding what is needed locally we can ensure nothing goes to waste. We would contact the supermarkets much earlier to understand their Christmas plans. While we have found a good use for the fridges, freezers and storage, it would be useful to have a permanent common store that would help us monitor and distribute surplus locally. We have continued the WhatsApp group to better share updates, and a range of different food projects have now linked up. How can you get involved this year? If you are a local business, supermarket or food supplier we can help distribute food gluts across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. To find out more about the Access to Food Partnership visit: https://lnkd.in/emhkt5ne and send us a message. 

We were delighted to join Homelessness Partnership BCP at their information and advice event last week. We had a number of residents struggling with food costs, and keen to find out about the different food projects available to them in addition to food banks. Please help us to spread the word about the our Food Map App which lists the community fridges, social supermarkets, lunch clubs, and food services available to all in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: https://lnkd.in/eD8Stdhs Many of these projects do not require residents to have a referral and are either free or charge a small fee (for example £4 for a two-course lunch club meal and a drink). #LetsTalkRenting #HomelessnessPartnershipBCP #BCP #BCHA #FoodSupport #AccesstoFood