At Rye Food Bank we have had to quickly adopt new procedures to ensure the safety of clients, suppliers, people making donations and volunteers and all those we are now delivering food to in crisis at this time. This, together with the significant rise in demand, has meant we have been ultra busy!
Chris Emson, food bank manager, tells us that she is now receiving referrals of those in crisis from a number of new agencies including Rother District Council and Early Help (support for families).
In common with everyone else since lockdown began, it has been difficult to source some products, and tinned vegetables, especially tomatoes, were in very short supply. We were also very low on a number of other basic staples, and having trouble sourcing deliveries.
This week the fantastic donation from the Jempson's Foundation, a delivery to the value of over £4,000, sees our stock cupboards good for about four weeks, along with the many other generous donations from Rye businesses and individuals - and Chris and the team of volunteers thank you all so much for your help and support.
This week the food bank processed 56 orders for families, which represents food for 159 adults and children. By way of comparison for the week of 26 February, food was supplied for 26 adults and 13 children - a total of 39.
[Editor's note: The first recorded case of the coronavirus was two Chinese visitors in York on January 29. The first case of someone who had caught the virus in the UK was believed to be a month later on February 28. So calls on the food bank have multiplied four times since then. The UK lockdown started on March 23, just over three weeks after the first infection within the UK was reported.]
Supplies needed next week are for tinned tomatoes and meat products such as corned beef.
