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Mission Statement

Wantage and Grove Food Bank is a practical, community-based project organised by local churches which provides food parcels to those in our area. The Food Bank is intended to provide short-term emergency help to people who find themselves for whatever reason (for example job-loss, benefit problems, ill-health etc.) unable to feed themselves or their families.

Should the Foodbank be in the fortunate position of having surplus funds, the Committee may, on occasion, use these to make a donation to other nearby foodbanks in need, or in exceptional circumstances, to help clients with other necessities for daily living (under the guidance of, and in partnership with, the referring agency).

Food Bank is entirely dependent on voluntary help and donations of food or money. For over ten years it has been generously supported in the community and the Committee would like to thank all the donors, including those who have given anonymously.

Wantage and Grove Food Bank is under the auspices of Wantage Community Church, which is part of Oxfordshire Community Churches, a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. Company number 3223210, registered charity number 1056921.

Volunteer

How to donate your time and be a volunteer for Wantage and Grove Food Bank

We are very grateful to all our volunteers who help out in various ways.

In order to be a volunteer for Wantage and Grove Food Bank you will need to have a reference from a local church leader. Email wantageandgrovefoodbank@gmail.com for an application form.

We need volunteers to be on a (usually fortnightly) rota to pack up and deliver food parcels and/or man the mobile phone to receive requests for parcels from various agencies and pass them on to the Food Bank volunteers who are on the rota to deliver them that day or the next.

Some volunteers may be needed to pick up donated food items from the collection points around Wantage and Grove and deliver them to the food bank store, and/or date them and count them into the stock.

In early December we may need extra volunteers to pack and wrap the special parcels Wantage and Grove Food Bank sends out for Christmas.

Training will be given for all these jobs.

The Food Bank will need

• the client’s name,
• their address and contact number if possible
• the number of adults and children to be catered for
• a brief reason for the parcel
• whether the client will need a repeat parcel in a week’s time
• an idea of when the client is at home to receive the parcel

Wantage and Grove Food Bank will usually try to deliver the parcel within twenty-four hours, but not on Saturdays or Sundays.

Referring agencies may like to receive the Wantage and Grove Food Bank news emails, which can be requested from wantageandgrovefoodbank@gmail.com.