Harvest 2016 – Foodbank Partnership
Harvest 2016 – Foodbank Partnership
Thank you for supporting Storehouse last year at Harvest-time. We would love to have your support again this year. We have now been feeding people in our community for nearly 9 years and are ever hopeful that at some point Storehouse will no longer be needed, but, sadly, that time is far from near.
Last year our usage increased by 62% on 2014 and we have seen the need continue to rise in 2016. In the first quarter, we have helped 330 people who were in crisis and unable to afford food for themselves or their families.
Those who come to us are from all walks of life and all kinds of situations. For instance, we were able to help Joanna (not her real name). She told us:
“I would just like to express my appreciation for the help I have received from Storehouse. I am on a reduced rate of Job Seekers Allowance at the moment. If it wasn’t for Storehouse I sometimes wouldn’t have very much to eat. One day hopefully I will be in the position to give food instead of taking it. Once again, I would like to say ‘thank you’. It has been a Godsend.”
Jack Gadsby from Suffolk Youth Services also relayed how a 19-year-old man who has experienced homelessness over two to three years alongside depression, has access to the food bank. He has faced financial pressures due to family breakdown, evictions and gaps in benefits due to depression and severe anxiety.
Jack said, “The provision of food parcels has been essential in maintaining his health, having recently been living in a tent and sofa-surfing with friends, while waiting for suitable accommodation to allow him to gain a secure base, so he can build on his ambition to gain an apprenticeship in horticulture. The young man said, “When you are in need, Storehouse foodbank is a friend indeed!'”.
We hope you will continue to make Storehouse Foodbank your point of donation for your Harvest Collections this year. We will again be producing publicity for Harvest, which is available as downloads from our website: http://www.stourvalleyvineyard.org/harvest. If there is anything else you need, like general leaflets about Storehouse, please let us know.
Meanwhile, we hope your own church is flourishing. Thanks, once again, for your ongoing support and partnership.
Warmly,
Emma Stewart-Darling
Storehouse Team Leader