Mandy* arrived in her new home in the early hours of the morning with four children aged 18, 17 and twins aged six. She had fled domestic abuse and police officers and social workers helped her move to the South Hams from her old home, 300 miles away.
When Mandy arrived she had no friends nearby, no support, no job, and no furniture. Kingsbridge Area Food Bank was there to help with essentials like food and household items, as well as a listening ear and links to other local services. Over the next 18 months Mandy was gradually able to rebuild her life.
“She’s surrounded by support now,” says Alan Denbigh, fundraising coordinator at the foodbank. “She’s made new friends, the children are happily settled, and she no longer needs our help. We stay in touch, because she says ‘we saved her life’ but also because it’s great to see her thriving after such a traumatic start.”
Mandy is just one of many who Kingsbridge Area Food Bank supports through a crisis every year. It currently delivers a weekly supply of food, hygiene products and household items to around 200 households. In total it is supporting more than 450 people, including 205 children.
The crises these households are experiencing come in many forms – Alan shares another story of a family who own a local small business and found themselves struggling financially. They said: “Our little family has really been hit hard this past year or so, and having your generosity has meant we can still feed our children.
“I never thought we would have been in that position, but times have been hard. I hope we can carry on making progress with our business and would like to be able to donate money to you once we are able, as the work you do is beyond amazing.”
In many cases the crisis is temporary and after a time people can move on from using the foodbank, perhaps even becoming a supporter themselves. Some may need to return at a later date, while a small core may always need its services.
The charity has a strong volunteer base and few overheads, so more than 90 per cent of what it spends is on food and household items that go directly to its beneficiaries. In the last three years food costs have increased by 40 per cent: “We’re spending more just to stand still,” Alan says.
Thanks to Devon Community Foundation’s donors and funding partners, we have been able to provide a number of grants for Kingsbridge Area Food Bank over the last few years.
Most recently, we awarded the foodbank a grant of £15,000 through our Food, Fuel and More fund. This comes from the Household Support Fund, allocated by central Government. We work with Devon County Council to distribute a share of the fund to organisations working with groups that are under-served by other support programmes and therefore likely to be impacted more severely by the cost of living crisis.
The grant will help the foodbank to continue providing food for its clients and to stock up on items such as gas, coal and logs, and cooking equipment such as microwaves and slow cookers.
These are essentials that will keep people going through periods of crisis and they are at the core of what Kingsbridge Area Food Bank offers. But the compassion, understanding and willingness to help shown by the team of unpaid volunteers is perhaps even more important.
Becca*, a single mother in her 20s, describes how the foodbank team has supported her and her three-year-old daughter through school changes, homelessness and serious medical incidents.
“They look after everyone – whatever their circumstances,” she says. “The hardest thing is asking for help but they make it so much easier. They don’t judge, they just listen and offer help when they can. They are a critical pillar of the community and we’re so lucky they are there.”
*Names have been changed to protect identities.
