Foodbank

Every day people in Bristol struggle to put food on the table for reasons ranging from redundancy or benefit sanctions, to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. Increasingly, parents skip meals to feed their children and people are forced to choose between paying the rent and eating. The North Bristol and South Gloucestershire Foodbank, as part of the UK-wide Trussell Trust Foodbank network, provides a minimum of three days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis. In Bristol, there are three Trussell Trust foodbanks and a number of independent foodbanks.

At Ebenezer Church, we started this foodbank in August 2012 in partnership with our friends at Filton Community Church.

Ann-Marie’s Story
‘We resorted to borrowing a tin of soup from next door to feed our 18 month old daughter. The problems came when my partner got ill and received no sick pay. It was snowing and we were struggling to afford food and heating. In the end the cupboards were bare. I don’t know what we would have done without the Foodbank’

Volunteer experiences
‘Clients come in so broken. In fact some people come in shaking because they’re so ashamed and embarrassed… And they seem to know they can share with us.  And by the end of it there’s definitely hope in their eyes.  There’s definitely a change in them.’

‘People are embarrassed when they come often, and we make, we really try and make them feel accepted and at ease.’

‘I've had to rein in my attitude and preconceived thoughts about people - to think about why someone is there, what somebody's story is.  It's not all selfish people, grabbing; it's not all people on benefit abuse.’

For more information please find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Alternatively, visit the website - http://northbristol.foodbank.org.uk/