Worthing Food Bank

Worthing Food Bank helps people going through a short term crisis by giving out free emergency food.  Jubilee Community Church runs the project and distributes the food from its centre at the Salvation Army’s ‘Welcome Inn’ in Crescent Road. The Food Bank has been helped in its work by £7,000 from the Worthing Together Stronger Communities Fund.

People can find themselves without food for a number of reasons, including redundancy, benefit delay or sickness.
Front line care professionals, such as health visitors and staff of Social Services and Connexions, give special Food Bank vouchers to clients needing help.

These vouchers can be exchanged at the Food Bank Centre for shopping bags full of food to last around three days. Other support services are also offered through the project, such as advocacy and counselling.

Julie Denyer, Worthing Food Bank Manager, said: ‘We started Worthing Food Bank in September 2006, and so far we have fed 744 people.

'This project could not happen without the many volunteers who give up their time at the collections, down the Food Bank Centre and at the warehouse.'

The Food Bank works through a simple system of collection, collation and distribution of goods.

Local shoppers are asked to buy extra tinned and dried food when they go to supermarkets. Food is also donated by other individuals, businesses, churches and interested organisations.

The goods are stored before being distributed at the Food Bank Centre. Clients receiving their three-day food supply are given a drink, food if they are hungry, and a listening ear.

Quotas of food needed vary depending on whether the client is a single person or a family. Emergency food boxes are also available, for use by care agencies working with the homeless and needy.

Mrs Denyer said: 'I would like to thank each very generous person from Worthing who gives up time every month at the supermarkets. Also, the supermarkets who allow us to collect and all the individual churches, people and organisations who support us.’

The Food Bank idea was first pioneered by the Trussell Trust in Salisbury in 1997. The project is also operating in other towns and cities across the UK, to date 32.

Volunteers are always welcome to help collect and distribute food. For details phone: 01903 821921 or email: office@food-bank.co.uk