Bournemouth Foodbank relies on the support of many groups in the community, including a number of small local businesses.
We are hugely grateful to the staff and customers at The Firkin Shed micropub and All Things Nice café, who have been kindly donating money to help us in our work to end poverty in Bournemouth.
Paul and Lisa Gray at The Firkin Shed have been policing their ‘No Mobile Phone’ policy by fining their patrons if caught with their mobile devices out! Each time, the offender has been invited to donate to the Foodbank as punishment!
This award winning Springbourne drinking establishment also runs occasional events like a curry night or cake night to raise further funds. Over the last six months, they have collected a whopping £607.87. Amazing work – keep your phones out please!
Lisa explained that the Foodbank is a favourite cause for the pub because they understand the dangers we all face with higher living costs and lower employment rates – all it takes is a little run of bad luck and all of a sudden you are in dire straits. “It’s like the lottery,” Lisa said. “It could be you! Except it’s not winning the jackpot, it’s losing everything and having to turn to the Foodbank. People need somewhere to turn when everything else has let them down.”
People need somewhere to turn when everything else has let them down.
All Things Nice cafe in Charminster has supported the Foodbank since it opened in 2013. The founder, Naomi Osella has a passion for bringing good, homemade food into the lives of people in the community. Her customers have also been incredibly generous with their loose change, giving £351.58 since the start of the year.
Naomi knows what it is like to try and live on very little. When she was a teenager, her father lost his job and their home due to illness. As a result, the family had to survive on on £3 a day. Naomi wants to encourage others to help where they can:
Some people say that those who use the Foodbank are ‘scroungers’. Maybe they are just honest, hard working people who hit a bump in the road and lack the resources to deal with it at that time. We need to help people over that bump whenever possible until they are able to reclaim their lives.
As well as food donations and other areas of practical help, the Foodbank also relies on financial giving to help us cover the costs of delivering, on average, about a tonne of food each week. Staffing, warehouse and vehicle expenses mean we rely on the generosity of the community to meet the needs of the community.
Please do consider becoming a regular donor or helping us to fundraise in some other way. For more information, or fundraising ideas, you can check out our donate page.
