R ichard had been perfectly healthy until he unexpectedly developed a chest infection. The infection led to a heart condition; this led to two major strokes and nineteen mini-strokes that left him unable to work. He and his wife later separated and he moved out of his family home, preventing him from receiving his Employment Support Allowance due to the change in address. He needed 35 tablets a day, but the cost of travelling to receive his medication meant that he could not afford to feed himself. It was at this point that Richard was referred to a foodbank. There, he was provided with food as well as emotional support. ‘Without the foodbank, I don’t think I would be here today’, he says. According to a May 2013 report by Oxfam and Church Action on Poverty, half a million people living in the UK are using foodbanks. In 2012-13, Trussell Trust, which owns 43 per cent of foodbanks, fed 346,992 people. We are, for a large part, shielded from the sight of poverty. However, it must never be assumed that poverty does not still exist in the UK. Since the 2008 recession, the number of foodbanks has risen dramatically as more and more people find themselves without enough money to feed themselves. It remains a very real and a very large problem; foodbanks are quite literally a vital resource. Charitable distribution of food dates back to the earliest civilisations, and it has taken many different forms over the centuries: from priests feeding beggars outside churches in the Middle Ages to the beginnings of soup kitchens during the Great Depression. The first official foodbank was created in the USA in 1967 and since then they have become this era’s symbol of charity. The actual mechanisms of the majority of foodbanks works by sending out social workers to give out vouchers to people they find in need. These people can then exchange the vouchers at the foodbank for a package of food that lasts up to three
The foodbank is a visible reminder of the human capacity for kindness and selflessness
days. The system wherein the social workers seek the needy out rather than vice- versa prevents the risk of long-term dependency on the foodbank and continues to encourage the unemployed to seek work, but at the same time ensures that they are healthy and provided for. Perhaps the most important feature of the foodbank is that it runs almost entirely on volunteer work. Furthermore, over 90 per cent of food distributed by foodbanks is donated by the public. That the 1,000 recorded foodbanks in the UK (as of January 2014) are able to operate to such an efficient degree, and over such a wide range, while operating almost entirely on the work of volunteers, is an incredible testament to the human spirit. The foodbank itself is a visible reminder of the human capacity for kindness and selflessness that should never be forgotten: it is one of our most important collective virtues. RM O ver the past year, boys from the Middle and Upper School have been volunteering their time on Saturday mornings at the Brixton and West Norwood Foodbank. We help at the West Norwood side of the foodbank, which is situated at St Margaret’s Church on Barcombe Avenue. We work in teams of two on a week-by-week rota alongside adult volunteers, many of whom are residents of the area. Our tasks include packing and stacking items donated by the general public and by local supermarkets including Tesco. These items vary hugely, but generally one can find long-lasting tinned goods like tuna, beans and rice pudding or big bags of starchy items like pasta or rice crammed onto the foodbank’s shelves. We have to weigh and date each item in order to avoid donations going out of date before they are passed on to a recipient. Around Christmas – the busiest time of year at the foodbank – donations from the public are especially generous. Items donated at this time include trays of mince pies and sweets, destined for families who would otherwise not be able to enjoy the festive season. As amusing as it was to see the adult volunteers having to set aside a not insignificant number of banned prosecco bottles, it was also difficult and disheartening to realise the extent to which many rely on the foodbank for basic essentials such as milk, toothpaste and baked beans. Although we have no face-to-face contact with the foodbank’s users – this may change next year – I have found the opportunity to volunteer there extremely rewarding: the contribution of Dulwich boys, which has become all the more valuable given the burgeoning need for foodbanks in our area, has been praised by adult supervisors. I would encourage without hesitation anyone considering doing Community Service to offer their services there – I myself will certainly be putting the option as my first choice next year. HG How the donations stack up
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