St Mike’s Church recently partnered up with Bournemouth Foodbank and The Trussell Trust, to open a Foodbank Hub at their church. Revd Sarah Yetman, vicar at St Mike’s, said that the Hub was responding to the lack of emergency food provision on the side of town where St Mike’s is located. The church therefore wanted to find a way to serve a community where many do not drive, allowing those in need of food and other provisions to access them more easily.
The Hub opened on Monday 11 September, with a team of volunteers drawn from all over Bournemouth and Poole, running from 5pm-7pm on Mondays and again on Thursdays, 8.45am-11am.
The hub operates by receiving pre-packed food parcels from the Bournemouth Foodbank Warehouse, which is based at St George’s in Boscombe, to be distributed to those who need them. Revd Sarah also said that they are also very thankful for all donations of food and toiletries collected at St Mike’s itself.
Not only is the Foodbank Hub somewhere for food parcels to be collected, it is also a place to listen, to offer refreshment, to help support people in crisis, and to signpost them onwards to other services for support and ongoing care, all to demonstrate that Jesus cares for those in need.
Could Your Church Get Involved?
The Project Director at Bournemouth Foodbank, Debbie Coombes, speaks about how food parcels are often the first step to seeking further support, both in terms of resources and asking for emotional and spiritual help. She says, “the food is often the ‘hook’ that draws people in to much deeper relationships and support. Matthew 25:35 says: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in.’ For me personally, this is why I do what I do. It is simple and makes a huge difference in peoples lives, practically, emotionally and spiritually.”
For Bournemouth Foodbank, having the community at St Mike’s join their network has helped provide for a geographical area which hasn’t previously had this type of support, so clients no longer need to pay bus fare or find a means of transport to get help. It also encourages people to step inside a church who may have never done so before.
We are always keen to partner with Churches to reach their local communities. Our aim is to enable them to connect with their most vulnerable residents in a way that is both natural and meaningful. For churches who want to have more engagement with the outside community, in an easy but meaningful way, please contact your local Foodbank or Trussell Trust directly. These services provide a structured model for drawing people in, but can be flexible enough to fit individual church’s facilities.
Debbie Coombes
Bournemouth Foodbank Project Director
Joining the Foodbank Network
The Foodbank Network is an initiative from The Trussell Trust, founded in 2004 after four years of developing the original foodbank based in Salisbury. Since then, The Trussell Trust has helped communities work together to launch foodbanks nationwide, with over 1,200 food bank centres in their network today.
Churches interested in joining the Foodbank Network can find further information on The Trussell Trust website, and can contact the Foodbank Network Team on 01722 580180 or by emailing enquiries@trusselltrust.org. Alternatively, you can reach out to your local foodbank to see how you can get involved.
