Norwich foodbank: Update 206
Good morning! A couple of you have been in touch regarding our usual annual celebration meal which has happened around this time of year. We have struggled to match a good venue AND good caterer AND general availability so rather than do something not very well, we’ll be sending out info in the next month or so about a Spring meal / event together so watch this space…
Annual Report
I often struggle when writing and reviewing the Annual Report because you’re talking about things that happened ‘last year’ and time moves on so quickly (or maybe its my age…) and something you want to share hasn’t technically happened yet! Anyway, our 2022/23 Annual Report has been finished and so I attach it to this update for your enjoyment With these regular updates, I would hope none of it is new (!) although we have gained a few new folk in the last few months so I hope it is of interest if you have joined us recently. And indeed there is already so much to put into our 2023/24 report!
Asda Supermarket collection
We have our next round of in-store supermarket collections coming up and would be grateful for your help! Thank you to everyone who has already signed up – no need to do so again – but if you are able to help at either Asda Hall Road on 10th / 11th October or Asda Hellesdon on 17th / 18th October, please do sign up here
Trussell / Us Rebranding
Over the last year or so, Trussell have been looking at rebranding and the day of the launch is very nearly here – next week it will go live so I’m sharing a sneak peek here as, by the next update, you may well have seen the new stuff and wondered what is going on! The mission – to end the need for foodbanks – and the core values of dignity, compassion, justice and community all remain the same for Trussell and us at Norwich foodbank. The new logo is designed to depict the important relationship between Trussell, foodbanks and the communities in which we work and represents two hands reaching out to connect. One of the reasons for the rebrand is to do with online accessibility as the logo and font failed several compatibility tests! With any charity brand update, we (collectively) are expecting a mix of responses. There has been corporate sponsorship so the rebranding has been fully funded by outside donors and this was really helpful for me to understand and I hope you agree. I’m excited to use this opportunity to remind / update / share about all the ‘other’ stuff we do beyond and alongside food. Foodbank still has at its core the emergency provision, but in the last 15 ish years Norwich foodbank has been operating, there is SO much else we do and I still recieve surprised looks and ‘I never knew that’ when I say ‘Oh and we also do XYZ’ at presentations or in conversations. The current / previous logo and identity was over 20 years old and feedback was that people found it confusing, and it made it harder for them to access support. We hope the new changes will make it easier for people to access support and will engage more people with our work. Trussell’s new tagline (which is ‘in’ the Trussell logo) is ‘Ending hunger together’.
Norwich foodbank T-shirts
A while ago, we were looking at getting some branded t-shirts for events / supermarket collections (to replace the tabbards we all know and love!) and for talks out and about. We didn’t do this as there were rumblings at the time of a rebrand but now it’s back on the table! We will buy in bulk so we have them for events and people to wear over their normal clothes as and when, but a couple of people we mentioned this too said they would like their own and would we accommodate that. We want more opinions please, so do fill in this survey: foodbank t-shirts
STORY of encouragement:
Settle in with a cuppa – it’s a long one this week but WELL worth the read 🙂
I shared in June about a couple who had attended both Oak Grove and NCBC on separate occasions:
JUNE recap: The couple had lived rough on-and-off for the past 6 years together and had been living in a tent. Over the weekend their tent was set alight and the vast majority of their belongings were destroyed, leaving them pretty much the clothes they were wearing and mobile phones with little means to keep them recharged. They then started sleeping on cardboard near a carpark. They generally keep themselves to themselves and seek to avoid the locations where other homeless people attend due to antisocial behaviour and drug issues. Oak Grove not only gave the food parcel, but also new sleeping bags, a camping gas stove, gas cannister and basic cooking equipment and a volunteer sourced a new tent. British Red Cross (BRC) sourced clothing, powerbank phone chargers and bedding . Shelter was engaged to help with the homelessness crisis, and Norwich Community Law Service (NCLS) to help with a separate but ongoing family issue. One of the couple was keen to get back into work and so BRC added this to the task list of support needed.
Chris, our BRC worker said this: ‘Quite simply, in one day we have been able to achieve what would probably have taken weeks, if at all, with them. This is time and money that will allow them to sort their own food out separately. They also have seen how a bunch of very clearly caring and committed people CAN deliver, and they now trust me to help them with some longer term but perfectly solvable issues so that they have no need to ever be in food poverty again. The couple have been blown away by the immediate help provided – but more than that, they are amazed that they have been treated so well by everyone involved. They were so impressed that no-one talked down to them, or treated them as ‘lesser’ in any way. They wish to forward their thanks to everyone involved – whether they met them face-to-face or if they worked in the background.’
AUGUST update: From Chris: ‘I’ve just got off the phone from an ecstatic X [one of the couple]. Above everything else – they haven’t needed a food parcel since we worked with them – they have now both been given permanent accommodation (the housing rules meant that they couldn’t be housed together and had to be treated individually) and are very happy with that. X is working with NCLS and expects a good outcome. “You have no idea how much you (meaning the various people and agencies involved) have changed our lives” and “We cannot tell you how grateful we are” were just two of the many similar comments a tearfully happy X made during the call. Another excellent example of the amazing achievements our joined-up working can result in.’
As I often do with these stories, I have no more to add so wish you a happy Friday and weekend when it arrives.
Hannah
Norwich Foodbank Office