Barnsley Foodbank Partnership: Covid-19 Update

Over the past few months, things have changed within Barnsley Foodbank Partnership. We thought we would give an update on what we have been up to recently and inform you all of our plans over the rest of the year.

“Everything has been so uncertain, but we are determined to continue working hard and helping people in crisis.”

Since our last update, the lockdown eased and rules changed. Some of our volunteers are still shielding, so as our warehouse got busier we were working harder. Rules adjusted in our warehouse too, with the social distancing and hand-washing side of things being a must. It’s safe to say that this has been one of the busiest years since our Foodbank opened in 2013, with us handing out more emergency food parcels than ever and more organisations signing up to be referral agents. We are still open and operating as normal as possible, but unfortunately the Covid-19 rules will be staying for a while longer…

“We want to ensure children are fed this Summer…”

Our Summer campaign ‘FACTS: Feeding All Children This Summer’ launched in July until September. Our aim was to ensure children were fed during the Summer holidays and struggling families were receiving the help they needed. We sent out activity packs and ‘Grab a Bag’ sandwich bags for each child receiving a food parcel, with crafts, puzzles and more to keep them entertained. We were lucky enough to receive some more funding to carry this on for the foreseeable too, which we are thrilled about.

Our Harvest plans are almost all in place now, with again, things being different this time around. We are working with some local schools and organisations to do collections, with all Covid-19 rules firmly in place of course. If you would like to get involved with a Harvest donation, keep an eye out on our social media during October for all the information. We also plan on sending out activity packs during October half term for the children, with Autumn themed crafts, puzzles, books and games inside.

“We will hand out 6 food parcels every minute…”

The Trussell Trust’s new analysis report forecasts a 61% increase in food parcels needed across their UK network in October-December. That’s 6 emergency food parcels every minute.

We continue to work day in-day out to provide food parcels to those in crisis and as the Winter months approach, we will no doubt become busier. Your donations are what makes a huge difference. We need your help more than ever to assist us in what could be the busiest few months of our Foodbank’s history.

If you’d like to make a donation to our Foodbank, click here for all of the information.

“Thank you for all of your kind support…your donations don’t go unnoticed.”

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