I run a food bank, in the Vale of Glamorgan, in Wales. Christmas is our busiest time – people in financial crisis struggle even more at this time, and every time we open, we hear heartbreaking stories, real despair. People on zero-hour contracts, who have to choose between bills and food. There’s talk of an economic recovery, but I don’t think the poorest people in the community are seeing that. Last Saturday, I delivered a parcel to someone who hadn’t eaten anything other than three pieces of bread in three days.
I got involved in 2007. I was in a local supermarket just before Christmas, when my husband raced past me going in the other direction up the aisle. When we met back at home that evening, he told me he had been shopping for a young man he was working with – he’s a social worker – who wasn’t going to have anything for Christmas. I looked at all the presents we’d been piling up under the tree for our son, and it broke my heart.
So I started the Big Wrap with my church, providing presents for children from newborns to 19-year-olds. In 2010, we started providing Christmas food hampers to those families, and we were completely overwhelmed by the demand. So I contacted the Trussell Trust, a Christian charity that runs food banks, and in 2011, opened one in my church. We now have a team of over 70 volunteers working in four food bank centres in the area – in Coastlands, Barry, Dinas Powys and Llantwit Major. It’s supported by churches, schools, community groups and individuals.
Our job is not just to feed people, but to make them feel there is hope. People can usually have up to three parcels, with each one enough to provide them with three meals a day for three days. It is counterproductive for people to come to rely on the food parcels though – we have to help them find long-term solutions. We will always chat with them and help them contact agencies who can help them.
Since opening we have fed 8,478 people, including more than 3,000 under‑16s. We rely exclusively on donations for the food. After harvest festival, schools and churches will often donate their proceeds. We also do collections outside local supermarkets.
For me, it’s been life-changing. I had a great job, but I went part-time then gave it up entirely to focus on this work. Even though we see people in desperate circumstances, I’m constantly amazed by how generously the local community responds. Not just with food or money – our volunteers turn out every week; they make tea, they listen to the people who come. It’s too easy to look the other way, to just think about oneself, and so it’s wonderful to see people giving a helping hand.
Find your local food bank at trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects
