Dover's new food bank
- 21 October 2013 13:37249237Something is horribaly wrong........
Tesco vows to act after study confirms huge food waste
Britain's shameful waste of food has been confirmed by a new study that shows more than two-thirds of produce grown for bagged salads, just under half of bakery goods and four out of 10 of apples are thrown away.
Tesco, working in conjunction with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), calculated the food waste "footprint" for 25 of the supermarket's best-selling products - looking at what was wasted both inside its supermarkets and in the homes of its customers.
The retail giant admitted that 28,500 tonnes of food waste were generated in its stores and distribution centres in the first six months of this year.
It also estimated that uneaten food costs families about £700 a year. - 21 October 2013 13:53249240have to put my hands up to being on of those does throw too much food away.
maybe it is a good time to look in our cupboards and give tins of stuff that we are unlikely to use to the local food bank? - 21 October 2013 13:55249242Yes we do it, good point bring that to the front.
- Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,795
21 October 2013 14:24249246Supermarkets should stop Buy One Get One Free and Two for The Price Of One offers. Simply lower the prices instead, nearly everyone would benefit financialy and there would be less waste, I have just had to buy two Gypsy Tarts when one is all I really wanted was one..........unfortunately the other will not go to waste.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
------------------------------------------------------------------- - 24 October 2013 09:19249638Cuts in bebfit ...........
Chief Medical Officer 'ashamed' as rickets makes a comeback
40 per cent of English children have some kind of vitamin D deficiency
The Victorian-era disease rickets has returned to England, the country's Chief Medical Officer has said, and should be fought off through a universal handout of vitamin supplements to all children under five.
In a damning report on the state of children's health, Dame Sally Davies said that the country should be "profoundly ashamed" that child mortality rates in some of the poorest parts of England were three times higher than rich regions.
Warning that today's children face a far more uncertain future than her own generation, she set out a range of recommendations to tackle urgent problems such as rising child obesity rates, a lack of effective mental health services for children and growing rates of vitamin deficiency. - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,854
24 October 2013 09:21249639are we going backwards under this govtALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,795
24 October 2013 09:45249645It is unfair to blame any government for the increase in the medical problems mentioned by Reg but one should never let facts interfere with political point scoring.
The rise in rickets is more likely to be that children no longer play in the sun as much as we did when we were children plus if they do they are wearing strong sunblock creams.
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/01January/Pages/Rickets-on-the-rise.aspx-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
------------------------------------------------------------------- - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,854
24 October 2013 10:10249652There are a number of reasons why you can blame the govt
and why these things dont happen any more
such as play areas being closed
hot chestnut there janALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 27 October 2013 15:17250259you're right about heating oil thefts tom, no doubt that will increase in the coming months.
anyway info from dover foodbank on the necessity of a van to carry out their work.
There are many things that foodbanks need besides the most obvious, which is food. The majority of the food must be collected from wherever it has been gathered and taken to the warehouse. The food is then weighed in and appropriately organized. The food then needs to be weighed out and taken to the distribution centres prior to an opening session. The simple fact is the food is moved around a fair bit. The distributions centres only hold enough food for a session. Many volunteer's do not have vehicle's suitable for transporting the food due to weight and size. In addition many volunteer's can't afford the fuel and wear and tear that all of the extra trips require. A van helps to make the pick-up and deliveries easier on the volunteers. We currently have 2 distribution centres but we are hoping to increase this number with time and support. We receive 2 types of donations, food and cash. We all know where the food goes, but the cash is also needed to make a foodbank work. It pays for transport costs, warehousing, electricity, phone, etc.
I hope this has helped answer why a foodbank would need a van.
Kind regards,
Alex
Dover Foodbank - 30 October 2013 18:49250683latest from the dover food bank - morrisons seems to be the hub of dover, last saturday we had the red councillors there, tomorrow the river cleaners meet there and on saturday the food bank takes centre stage.
Hi Howard,
Could you let the forum know we will be collecting long life food for the Dover Foodbank at Dover's Morrison on Saturday 2nd November between 10:00-17:00?
Our current most needed list is:
Top 10 Food List of Items Needed:
Fruit Juice
Tinned Fish
Pasta Sauces
Sugar (500g)
Tinned Potatoes
TInned Fruit
Tinned Sponge Pudding
Instant Potatoes
Tinned Meat
Tin Opener
Top 5 Baby Items List of Items Needed:
Nappies - Any size
Baby Milk
Baby Wipes
Baby Food
Baby Bath Soap
Top 7 Toiletry Items List of Items Needed:
Washing Up Liquid
Shampoo/Shower Gel
Toilet Paper (Any size package)
Ladies SaSoap
Tooth Paste
Tooth Brush
Top 2 Pet Food Items List of Items Needed:
Pouched Dog Food
Cat Food
Many thanks, - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
30 October 2013 18:53250687fresh from lidl,if you like that sort of thing.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lidl-reindeer-steaks-sold-discount-2657581 - 31 October 2013 14:28250752the first newsletter from dover foodbank courtesy of alex goodier.
We wanted to start the first Dover foodbank Newsletter with a huge Thank You!! The Dover
foodbank has been able to open with the 3 tonnes of food it required.
Setting up a foodbank from scratch is a large project requiring involvement from the entire
community. We have had overwhelming support from every area of the community and for
this we are very grateful. We were able to open as expected and to start helping those in
food crisis in Dover.
We continue to need your support to keep the foodbank running. We will keep the food
thermometer updated on our website with the stock totals. We ideally, need to have 3
tonnes of food in stock.
The newsletter will come out periodically with articles which are more in depth than we can
put on our website. We will make the newsletters downloadable so that anyone can access
them at any time.
There has been a lot of hard work which has gone into getting the foodbank setup, but this is
only the beginning. If you would like to help in any way, please email us. We have a wide
variety of ways you can help. Thank you for your help and support in advance, the foodbank
can only continue with it.
How to Keep up to Date?
Who Uses the Foodbank?
We have a variety of ways to keep up to date with the foodbank. The first place to
look should always be the Dover foodbank Website. In addition, we also work hard to
keep the local newspapers and Dover forum up to date with the latest information.
If you are skilled in the area of social media and would like to volunteer some time for
the foodbank, please email us at doverfoodbank@yahoo.co.uk. We'd love to
hear from you.
The Dover foodbank is for local people incrisis who do not have any food. In the
Dover community some people are struggling to feed their families and
themselves for a variety of reasons.
Those finding themselves in difficulty can get help as we have many good programs in
Dover. The Dover Gateway is the best place to start when help is needed. With a
voucher, the foodbank provides three daysof emergency food which usually bridges
the gap before other programs kick in.
The distribution centre opening times are
supplied when a voucher is issued.
Footprints, The Beacon, 37 London Rd, Dover, Kent CT16 1AL
Old Park Community Centre, Gordon Rd,Dover, Kent CT16 2ET
A Voucher is Required to use the foodbank.
The following agencies can provide a
voucher:
Dover Gateway - 69-71 Castle Street, Dover CT16 1PD
Citizens Advice Bureau -Dover Gateway
Sanctuary Supported Living - Dover Gateway
Health Trainers (NHS) -Dover Gateway & Discovery Centre
Age UK - Riverside Centre, Maison Dieu Road, CT16 1RL
Agencies with Vouchers
What happens at a Distribution Centre?
Our distribution centres are where someone with a foodbank voucher actually collects their
food. It is important to remember that it can be very stressful for someone to admit they
need help with basic necessities like food. It can take a great deal of courage for someone
to admit they need a voucher to the foodbank, however it takes more courage to actually go
and receive it. There are a variety of reasons for this, but one of the reasons, is not knowing
what will happen when they arrive.
When someone walks through the doors of a distribution centre they will receive a warm
greeting and the offer of a nice hot brew with a biscuit. Sometimes it's been a long time
since they have had anything to eat. The person will hand in their voucher. One of our
trained volunteers will go and put together enough food for 3 days for each person listed on
the voucher. While the food is being gathered the person will have the opportunity to chat
to another trained volunteers. This is a very important part of the process, as the volunteer
not only has time to listen but can help point them to other places for help.
The final step is to give the necessary groceries to the person in normal shopping bags.
Shopping bags seem like a small thing, but it is important that the person can go out with
dignity and that the groceries are bagged in a standard way.
on the front page of our web site you may see a thermometer which shows how much food
we have in stock. This is important because if we don't have enough food donated by the
community we cannot keep the food bank running.
We are often asked how much food it takes to make 3 tonnes, or to feed a single person. We
are not used to thinking of our own weekly shop in terms of tonnes so it can be difficult to
understand how much food the foodbank needs.
Listed below are answers to a couple of the questions we get asked most often.
How Much is 3 tonnes of Food?
3 tonnes of non-perishable food will roughly fill a large garage. According to Tesco's
calculations, it would cost in the region of £5,070 and would feed approximately 120 large
families, or 150 small families, or 300 couples/singles - each for 3 days.
How Much Food Does One Person Receive for 3 Days?
The items can vary but we always aim to give a balanced diet for the 3 days. This is a
sample list for one person:
How Much Food Does it Take?
. 1 Small Packet of Cereal
. 2 Tins/Packets of Soup
. 2 Small Tins of Beans or Spaghetti in Sauce
. 2 Small Tins of Tomatoes/Pasta Sauce
. 2 Small Tins of Vegetables
. 2 Small Tins of Meat or Vegetarian
. 1 Small Tin of Fish
. 2 Small Tins of Fruit
. 1 Standard Tin of Rice Pudding
. 1 Small Packet of Biscuits
. 500g of Sugar
. 500g of Pasta/Rice/Noodles
. 40 Tea Bags or Small Jar of Coffee
. 1 Carton of Juice
. 1 Carton or Packet of Milk (UHT or Powdered milk).
We also collect baby food, toiletries, and pet food. Please
see the website for the most current list of foods required. there are a vaiety of ways we can collect
food. We have collections at the local supermarkets throughout the year. We will
post on the website the supermarkets collections as they are scheduled.
We also supply food collection bins for businesses, schools, and churches. Can your
organisation be a regular drop point or a collect for special occasions? Please contact
us for more details.
Food collection boxes, shelving for storage,transport and printing costs are just some of
the expenses involved in setting-up and organising a foodbank. It has been encouraging
to see so many get involved in helping with the start-up phase of the Dover foodbank, but that
is only the beginning. A regular donation to support the Dover foodbank can be made by
completing a standing order form found on the Dover foodbank website
(dover.foodbank.org.uk/get-involved) - send it in together with the completed Gift Aid Form,
which will increase the amount of your donation by 25% at no extra cost to you (if you
are a UK tax payer). One-off donations are also welcome - but again, please send in a Gift Aid
Form with it. Cheques should be made to "Dover Food Bank". Every donation will help
people in crisis, so your donations - no matter how small - will make a real difference.
What About Cash Donations?
There are a variety of ways that volunteers can support Dover Foodbank.
Here are some of the main ones with descriptions of what the roles involve.
Helping with Supermarket Collections
Collections will be arranged in all the major supermarkets in the Dover area.
We need at least 6-10 people in each team to cover the chosen day. Between
them (generally 1 -2 hrs slots); to give 'shopping lists' to the public in the store;
to be friendly and explain who we are; to collect the donated food when customers
leave the store and to deliver the donations back to the warehouse.
Training will be given.
Helping in the Warehouse
Team members will be involved in sorting, weighing and stacking, donated
food. They will make up stock orders & may deliver boxes to the Foodbank
centres. Some will upload data to the Trussell Trust online data system.
Training will be given for all aspects of the work, but volunteers need to be
physically fit.
Administration
This covers a variety of areas which includes Vouchers, Emails, Website,
Facebook, and Twitter. These require computer skills and training. Please
specify which of the areas in admin you are most interested in helping with.
One off Events
They may relate to specialist help like operating a sound desk or projection
equipment or preparing and serving meals or refreshments.
http://dover.foodbank.org.uk/ - 1 November 2013 21:04250870just a reminder that our local food bank volunteers will be outside morrison's tomorrow between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm collecting donations of food and other essentials.
hope to get down there myself at some stage. - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
2 November 2013 05:32250894to give or recive howard. - 6 November 2013 20:26251443they turned me away brian but it was a highly successful day thanks to the generosity of dovorians.
the next supermarket collection will be on the 29th and 30th of november at tesco's. - 6 November 2013 20:54251448apart from the dover forum, I have not actually heard of the foodbank before. it s a great idea for families,homeless and elderly who really struggle. Do they get told from the LA where to get these things? Is there a official procedure? Or is this a private charity? They do have these in other countries too but they arent linked with the LA at all. They are completeley different.
I am just curious about the whole foodbank bussiness.
But its good for Dover people qho really struggle to meet ends.. as long they dont use money for tattoos ....etc...
Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud. Maya Angelou ☺🌈🌄🌌🌏🌍🌎 - 6 November 2013 21:05251451not an exact science who gets help heike but probably post 71 sums the situation up.
they are a charity and they only supply 3 days of food per person, in october they supplied 89 clients.
http://dover.foodbank.org.uk/ - 17 November 2013 15:40252810some case histories here that show the desperate situations some families are in and the importance/necessity of food banks.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/443511/Food-bank-Britain-Thousands-need-charity-handouts-because-of-welfare-system-failings - 26 November 2013 14:54253772just a reminder that dover food bank will be at tesco's in whitfield this coming saturday and sunday.
the link below has been updated to show what donations are now needed.
168 people have been supplied with food in the first 7 weeks of opening.
http://dover.foodbank.org.uk/ - 29 November 2013 09:26254105i must correct the above, the food bank people will be at tesco's today(friday) and tomorrow(saturday).