A Christmas message from our manager Grahame Lucas

At this time of year, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, whose life was an amazing gift. At this time of giving, we also give thanks for the amazing generosity of the people of Worcester for your generosity, in supporting Worcester Foodbank so that we can continue to help those who turn to us in crisis, suffering food poverty, and unable to properly feed their families and children.

This time last year we were looking ahead to a year in which we hoped for change and prayed for the wisdom of those elected to power. We look forward to a new era where food poverty is eradicated and everyone has a living household income, enough to guarantee the essentials like food, rent and energy.

We are encouraged by the support of our local MP, Tom Collins. He understands the need for change but acknowledges the uphill struggle that the government faces.

This time last year we were in the middle of a busy time at foodbank with record numbers turning to us in crisis, but we didn’t realise that demand would reach an all-time high (in December last year we provided 966 food parcels to feed 2,605 people including 1,129 children).

Demand continues to rise (a further 10% in the last 12 months) having fed about 18,500 people in the last twelve months. Demand now stands at about 2.5 times the level in 2019.

We will continue this work with the support of you and those around our city, until such time as we can close because we are no longer needed.

But the change needed is like turning an oil tanker and will take many years. That is why we are in the process of renewing the lease on our warehouse and expanding into the neighbouring building where we plan to be located for the next 10 years.

Once again thank you for your generosity which our amazing foodbank team really appreciates. It enables us to continue the work of turning frowns upside down.

We see the generosity in many ways:

• the small child who gives up their pocket money to buy a tin of food for Foodbank

• the stranger who didn’t pass by but gave the carrier bag of food to us, telling us that we helped his friend, and

• the former client who had used foodbank in the past, is now in a better place, and donated £500 to us.

Generosity is a function of sacrifice whether it is one tin of beans or £10,000.

Please come and visit us, see our amazing team at work, & perhaps volunteer for a day.

One last thought:

A quote from Ronald Rolheiser from his book called Holy Longing – he says: “Charity is appeased when a rich person gives money to the poor, while justice asks why one person can be hugely rich when so many are poor.”

* This message was first published as a letter in the Worcester News

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