North Bristol Foodbank urgently seeks new home

March 11 2019
North Bristol Foodbank urgently seeks new home

In order to keep providing a vital service to local people, North Bristol Foodbank is asking the community for urgent help to find a new home for their warehouse as soon as possible.

The role played by the foodbank in the community is a crucial one. In the last year, North Bristol Foodbank provided 4,152 three days emergency food supplies to local people in crisis, 1,664 of which went to children. The sudden need for warehousing comes after we have been asked to move from our previous premises.

Foodbanks offer much more than just emergency food parcels and North Bristol Foodbank seeks to address some of the underlying causes of referral with additional services and support. Foodbank volunteers are trained to talk to people about why they’ve needed the foodbank’s help and signpost them to other agencies and charities that could help tackle the issue in the long-term.

Foodbank manager Matt Dobson said, 'Time and time again we're overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of the people of North Bristol and South Gloucestershire - last year alone people donated 56 tonnes of food to help local people who are in crisis. The support is incredible. We now need somewhere secure to store these donations so we can continue to make a real difference to families in North Bristol, South Gloucestershire and beyond who might otherwise go hungry.

 “We've been fortunate to have the warehouse cheaply in the past, as this has allowed more of the money donated to the foodbank to be spent on services for people who need our help, instead of being swallowed by renting costs. We urgently need help to find a space for our warehouse as quickly as possible – we’d be very grateful for the support any local people can give.”

 The requirements for the foodbank are for a 3,000 square feet building in Bristol, where donated food can be stored and processed into packages to give to clients at the foodbank's distribution centres. Electricity points for weighing equipment are also a necessity.

 Anyone who is able to help is asked to contact the foodbank on 0117 979 1399 or email: info@northbristol.foodbank.org.uk.