This week Bishop Philip visited the Winchester Food and Basics Bank after becoming president of the charity which helps families in need across the city and surrounding area.
The charity was set up 21 years ago by Churches Together in Winchester and provides emergency food, clothing and toiletries to people and families who are facing difficulties with the cost of living or due to an unexpected event in their lives.
Bishop Philip was given a tour of the sorting and storage site, where donations are received before being distributed to hubs across the city. He said, “It’s a great shame that there is such a need in a wealthy city like Winchester, but I’ve been really impressed. The wonderful people here are working hard with churches and other community groups to meet what’s an evident need in the city. It’s a great hive of activity, but it’s also a great symbol of hope. For many people, for whom life is challenging, the hand of friendship is being held out to them with generosity, with care and with love. For me, it’s a great privilege to be part of this and to have this new role of president of the Winchester Food and Basics Bank.”
The Winchester Food and Basics Bank has expanded since it opened in 2004 and now has five bases in and around the city including St Barnabas in Weeke and St Gregory’s Church in Alresford. It has also seen the demand for its service grow – last year, it helped 1140 families.
During holiday periods, the charity also provides food for families who would normally get free school meals and struggle with the expense of buying extra food during the holidays. Bishop Philip met some of the volunteers who have helped pack more than 300 bags of food including pasta, rice, sauces and tinned hot dogs as well as fresh food, to help provide hot meals over Christmas. It’s become a tradition in recent years that different local businesses and organisations come in to help pack the bags.
Angus Kirk, Operations Manager, said, “It’s been a busy year, but every year is a busy year. We’ve seen especially an increase in requests from schools, who’ve asked us to supply them with emergency bags that they can keep in their offices and give out, should they notice a family in difficulty. We’ve also been collaborating with the Red Cross and giving out emergency bags for them to give to people who are coming out of hospital, and we’ve just finished bagging up 312 bags for the holiday lunches for Christmas.
“Although Winchester is considered a wealthy city, there is still an underlying current of people who are in need and not necessarily people who you would expect. We also help couples, who are both working, and cannot get to the end of the month. In Winchester rents are extremely high, council tax is high, your utilities are high. I think the traditional idea of a food bank just giving out food to the poor and homeless has long been passed.”
The Winchester Food and Basics Bank is supported by local churches, organisations and businesses as well as the council and local supermarkets. Clients are referred by over 80 agencies including the city council and housing associations, but people can also self-refer. Clients receive a week’s supply of food at a time and can visit up to 8 times a year.
The charity relies on donations of food and goods from churches, schools and residents via collection points across the city. It now also supplies basic kitchen equipment such as plates and saucepans. It works alongside the Winchester hygiene bank, homeless charities and will receive gifts of toys this year through Winchester Rotary club’s Reverse Santa project. This was the first visit by Bishop Philip after becoming the charity’s president.
Chair of Trustees, Lesley Little, said, “It’s really good to have somebody who’s out there in the community, who’s aware that we exist and can tell people about us. If people are asking him about Winchester, he can say, ‘We have a need for a food bank here’, which gives a different picture to what a lot of people expect in Winchester. He can also put us in touch with other groups who we may be able to work with. It’s all about raising awareness. He can tell people about us and what we do and that might just plant the seed in someone’s mind who might need us or want to support us.”
