Summer Prayer Letter | Grantham Foodbank

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Summer Prayer Letter

Dear Supporters of Grantham Foodbank,

As we head into high summer, we are thankful to the many individuals and organisations who help us throughout the year to prevent and relieve poverty in our local area by providing emergency food and supplies to those facing desperate circumstances.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting Grantham Foodbank through prayer, food or financial donations, and/or volunteering. Together we are helping local people facing hardship and demonstrating God’s love in practical ways.

We partner with a range of local organisations within Grantham on a referral basis, so we are sure to welcome to the Foodbank those individuals and families in need of emergency food parcels.

We continue to benefit from our relationship with the Trussell Trust, who provide us with volunteer training and other resources to help us to ensure that we comply with all regulations that help us to maintain a safe working environment for our staff and volunteers and provide a dignified service for our clients.

“I have found the Foodbank very helpful. Wonderful people who help. I lived in a tent for months. Foodbank have helped when I have been at my lowest.”

– Recent Grantham Foodbank client

We have held several in-house workshops exploring how we can better provide our clients with a dignified and caring environment, and we are pleased to share with you that we have two new dedicated hospitality volunteers who help us to provide a welcome cup of tea and biscuit to every client.

Additionally, we have implemented a new ‘client choice’ shelving area, where clients are assisted to select from a range of products for themselves, thereby giving them a sense of autonomy and dignity and also having the added benefit of reducing any items that clients cannot make use of going into parcels.

Would you join with us in praying for the following?

How can you get involved further?

If you have an idea for a fundraising activity or would like a speaker from the Foodbank to attend an upcoming fundraising or church event, please get in touch and Dorothy Gaughan, our Foodbank Coordinator will be happy to arrange this.

Please follow us on Facebook if you are not already doing so, as you will be able to see the latest happenings at the Foodbank and find out about our latest priority food items to donate.

Please encourage church members to consider supporting the work of our charity through regular giving where possible.

Consider volunteering a group from your church to assist our core volunteers with staffing a fundraising pitch at one of our supermarket food drives.

Again, our every thanks for your prayerful and practical support and encouragement in the work of our charity.

With every blessing,

Wendy Bentley

Chair of Trustees

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A PDF version of the summer newsletter can be found here.

Give thanks to God

For the provision of an enthusiastic and caring cadre of volunteers who give of their time so selflessly in many areas, from helping in the warehouse, weighing in and stocking food, to helping pack parcels for clients, to sitting with our clients and providing a listening ear to them

For the premises we continue to be able to rent and from which we operate

For our new trustee who is leading our compliance and policy area, which is a great support to the board of trustees, and for our new volunteers who have recently joined our team

For our dedicated Foodbank Coordinator and the way that she has been able to put together a training programme for our referring agents, to ensure they all know how best to refer clients into our services

Please pray

For successful summer fundraising and publicity events for the Foodbank including a fundraising Quiz Night at Ascension Church to GOSH It's Grantham event in July

That we will be able to bring on board a couple of additional trustees; we seek a trustee with skills to lead on fundraising and grant-writing opportunities to help us take advantage of all possible opportunities for grants and new fundraising opportunities

That we will be able to find an additional couple of volunteers who can train up to stand in as alternates for our one paid staff member, thereby allowing continuity of coverage during leave days

For a smooth transition to a paperless referral system using handheld tablets in the front of house, eliminating the time-consuming process of handling paperwork and helping us to better signpost our clients to appropriate services of other charities which might help them

For continued quality referrals from our partner agencies to ensure we help the most needy in our community

For needed financial support so that we can replace our old fridges and freezers

For ongoing and new sources of food donations to keep our shelves stocked!

That our clients would find kindness and support to help them in their acute food poverty, and that they would be able to also access financial/debt support to help them in the future

How can you get involved further?

Make a donation