A few weeks ago we had our first round of drop-in centre volunteer training and voucher holder training.  It was a hugely successful day and we're grateful for everyone's enthusiasm and support. More training is happening, both for voucher holders and volunteers - please contact us at volunteer@barrow.foodbank.org.uk if you'd like to be involved!

We're desperately in need of organisational and workplace representatives. If you could place a collection box and some leaflets in your shop, staff room, waiting room, office, please get in touch! 

Additionally there are co-ordination roles opening up, if you'd like to be involved in more of an organisational or administration capacity and can volunteer your time, we would love to hear from you. 

And now our BIG news! We've reached our first ton in the warehouse! So exciting. We're getting closer and closer to opening the doors (the big date is planned - please keep you eyes peeled for an announcement)

This picture has now flown out of date by the amount of food on the shelves doubling. But so exciting to think that not long ago our warehouse looked like this. And now I'm tripping over food left, right and centre and making emergency trips to supermarkets to collect cardboard apple boxes for stacking!

I hope to have a big post with you soon, containing all the details of our first big supermarket collection! July 14th at ASDA in Barrow-in-Furness

We hope everyone had a lovely Easter break. It's been a busy two weeks at the Barrow Foodbank. Three of our volunteers visited the North Lakes Foodbank, big thanks to Jessie who very kindly showed them round and shared the things they've learned. North Lakes foodbank are currently feeding 150 people a month, and are an amazing example of how well a foodbank can work.

The warehouse is decorated, the shelving is up and so far initial donations have reached 360kg! We need a lot more to open though, a whopping three tons (that's 3000kgs for those who have to google it, like I did!). We're hoping to have some large supermarket drives soon, let's knuckle down for the final push.

Training days are approaching. If anyone would like to volunteer for the warehouse please email warehouse@barrow.foodbank.org.uk so we can arrange a date for warehouse training, thank you! Remember, working in the warehouse requires no ongoing commitment and times are flexible.

Updated Shopping List

You may notice that this shopping list is a little different to one you've seen on a leaflet or been given by a rep, if in doubt, refer to this one as it's slightly more in depth. 

Milk (full fat or semi-skimmed UHT, please no skimmed)
Fruit juice (1 ltr carton UHT)
Teabags/Instant Coffee (medium)

Meat (eg corned beef, tinned fray bentos pies etc)
Vegetarian alternatives to meat (tinned, eg Bean chilli)
Fish
Tomatoes (Tinned or Carton)
Fruit
Vegetables
Soup (Preferably tinned rather than cuppa soup)
Rice Pudding
Tinned Sponge Pudding
Evaporated Milk
Custard (tinned or UHT carton)

Pasta Sauces
Instant Mash Potato
Sugar
Jam
Pasta (Medium bags of dried pasta)
Rice
Biscuits or Snack Bars
Cereal (med and large boxes)


These are the essentials that we need to fill nutritionally balanced 
boxes. However we do welcome  'extras' that are added according to 
individual need.
Some examples of welcome extras are hot chocolate mix, sweets for 
children, squash etc. Pasta in sauce mixes and cuppa soups are given out 
as extras. Non food extras can include baby wipes and nappies, sanitary 
towels, toiletries eg soap and toothpaste.

Thursday saw our first meeting with church representatives - many thanks to all who attended. We now have representatives for 13 churches in the Barrow area. If you'd like to represent your church or organisation please contact us at volunteer@barrow.foodbank.org.uk. You can download a volunteer form here.  A meeting for organisation representatives is being organised and will take place after Easter.


What do reps do? - 
Reps play a very important role within the foodbank. In brief, we would ask you to

• set up a food collection point within your church or workplace together with a poster, initial shopping lists, volunteer forms and gift aid forms
• Encourage people to sign up for our newsletter electronically on our website, and to visit the blog and facebook
• Arrange for collected food to be delivered to the warehouse for sorting and storing. you can either bring it to the foodbank Mondays to Fridays between 10am and 12noon or to contact us to arrange for us to collect it. 
• Give any information for the newsletter or blog to us, email it to warehouse@barrow.foodbank.org.uk
• Encourage fundraising! Fundraising ideas are on the website but they're just a starting point - contact us if you have any ideas
• Let us know how the foodbank is/is not working for your church or organisation. Feedback is important as it raises standards
• And for church reps, please encourage your church to pray for the foodbank. For those who work there and for all the people we serve. 

VOLUNTEER TRAINING


Volunteer training has been organised for Monday 30th April in the drop-in centre at Abbey Road Baptist Church.
Training for voucher holders will take place in the morning, this should take around an hour, and drop-in centre volunteers in the afternoon. A light lunch will be provided for both groups at 12.30.

If you'd like to volunteer but aren't available at drop-in opening times, please still contact us as warehouse hours are varied and flexible and no ongoing commitment is needed.


Warehouse Progress

The warehouse is now fully decorated and shelving ordered. It's so exciting to be able to say this. The team is slowly but steadily climbing the mountain of tasks that need to be done in order for us to begin operating and we're getting ever closer. Huge thanks to all those who've volunteeered and expressed support, please continue to tell others about us.

Making Links

This week Project Co-ordinator Jo, Treasurer Dot and Volunteer Co-ordinator Ann represented Barrow Foodbank at an information day hosted by adult social services to become more aware of third sector agencies and their work in the community.

Jo did a presentation which was very warmly received and a number of organisations including Social Services, Mind and Furness Multicultural Community Centre have expressed an interest in becoming voucher holders. 

If you would like to become a Rep for your organisation, place of work or church then please email us at volunteer@barrow.foodbank.org.uk, and we will supply you with a representative pack, which includes information leaflets, shopping lists and a laminated sign for your collection box.

Warehouse Progress

Just a few short weeks ago, our warehouse was in a pretty sorry state. Filled with furniture and in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint, it was hard to imagine what the space would look like.

Thanks to some hard work from our maintenance-man extraordinaire (he's always looking for volunteers!), we're getting closer every day.

A good clean and two fresh coats of paint have made a world of difference. Just a little more clutter to clear and the flooring to sort (can you help? Carpet tiles or carpeting sorely needed, please email us at info@barrow.foodbank.org.uk).

before

during

Environmental Health

We had our first visit from environmental health this week and we got a pleasing thumbs up for the work we've done so far and some great advice on what we still need to do. We're now in the process of registering as a food business (though we are a charity!) and then food hygiene will be paying us a visit.


Thanks
Huge thanks to Chips Computers in Barrow Indoor Market who very generously donated a computer, monitor, keyboard and speakers to the foodbank.

Thanks also to the Mobile Man, also at Barrow Indoor Market who have donated some shelving for the warehouse.

The search for more shelving continues, can you help us find the things we need ?