Foodbank boost needed

Rochdale Foodbank is appealing to the public of Rochdale to give food generously to schools, churches, mosques or privately during the Harvest Thanksgiving season.

At present, food stocks are very low of many items that are included in a food box.

Project Manager, Iain Wight, said: “We remain amazed that we have had enough food over the last four years to feed thousands and thousands of Rochdale people, families having a crisis of one sort or another.

“We have seen a bit of a drop in donations since April and we are asking the public to remember us at this time. We’ve spent over £4,000 buying food we are short of.”

Since the floods on Boxing Day, the foodbank has been refurbished and is also looking to do more in the community to help prevent people getting into food poverty.

Mr Wight added: “We are training now to provide a debt advice service later this year, which we hope will stop some people from getting into a crisis. We want to provide cooking and budgeting tips too. And we hope in the future to be able to do more about fuel poverty.”

The foodbank has also started receiving daily fresh food donations, mostly fruit and vegetables, from Milnrow Coop and Marks & Spencer.

Mr Wight said: “We are delighted to be in these new partnerships which allow our clients to have top quality fresh food as well as the usual non-perishable tins and packets.”

The foodbank also has a new website www.rochdale.foodbank.org.uk provided by Trussell Trust, and anyone can see what they have shortages in: 

• Pasta sauce
• Fruit juice
• Instant mash potato
• Jam 
• Sugar 
• Milk

And what they have plenty of:

• Soup
• Vegetables
• Meat
• Tea
• Pasta

Mr Wight added: “We are a foodbank primarily, we rely 95% on the public donating tins and packets to us.

“Without these donations we will cease to function.

“So please help us this Harvest season, when we give thanks for God’s wonderful provision over the last year, which allowed us to feed well over 3,000 Rochdale families.” 

Food can be given at our donation points:

• Tesco, Silk Street, Sudden, Rochdale, OL11 3ER 
• 8 South Parade, Rochdale, OL16 1LR, donation point is at the store entry – near the security position. Food can also be donated at the back of Rochdale Foodbank. 
  Opening hours are 11.00am – 12:45pm Monday to Friday. A member of staff will greet you and make sure your donation is safely booked in.
• Food can be collected by contacting Dave Hill: 07922 658346