Can You Help Beat 5 Million Donated Meals Next Week?

Our local supermarket collections take place on July 3rd -5th July 

- Twice a year Tesco stores offer you the chance to donate food to us at West Cheshire Foodbank. Tesco generously top up all donations by 30%

- Last November thanks to your help people across the UK gave enough for 4.3 million meals. This week we hope to make it more than 5 million meals!

- West Cheshire Foodbank will be involved with collecting food from two Tesco Stores on Frodsham Street, Chester and Sealand Road, Chester.

Here's how to get involved...

- All you need to do is pick up a few extra items in your weekly shop at the Tesco Store on Frodsham Street or on Sealand Road and give it to our happy band of volunteers outside the store.

- You could also join our team of volunteers and help us collect food. No experience required! And a fun day for all:)  Details here.

Thank you!

Foodbank Operations Co-ordinator Wanted

We're looking for a part-time member of staff to work with us to help consolidate our operations. Interested? Click Here For More Details.

Allan's Story

"I have been sanctioned for four weeks by JCP because I was unable to attend a course because I was ill. I had a stomach upset and I went to the pharmacist for advice and medication not the doctor (I have not needed a doctor for 35 years). This meant I did not have a doctors note and although I wrote to explain this was not good enough. Unfortunately the pharmacist does not know me either. The sanction has now ended but I still have to pay off the debts that accumulated during that period which included not only the four weeks but the two weeks of 'hardship payment'. Last week I was back on the full amount less deductions but because of the extra payments I cannot make ends meet this week. I was a cleaner on contract on zero hours and now there are no hours."

Thank you to Allan for sharing this with us.  

Thanks to the University of Chester Christian Union. Legends All!

New film: the shocking rise of inequality in Britain

Most people perceive the distribution of wealth in the UK to be far more equal than it actually is. In fact, for more than 30 years the gap between the richest and the rest has widened - and the trend shows no sign of slowing, as this animation makes clear.

Produced by the High Pay Centre.

Going The Extra Mile For Foodbank!

 

     Justin and Nicole have just raised £200 for us running
     the Ellesmere Port Race! Thank you both!

Paul and Angela's Story

"Paul attended appointment with D.H.S doctor and was told he no longer qualifies for ESA. Paul suffers from epilepsy, is currently on medication and still has fits. There has been no change in his condition. Due to a change over of benefits from ESA to JSA they are currently receiving no benefits (since 21st April). Paul and Angela sought support from [agency name] who issued a Foodbank voucher."

Our sincere thanks go to Paul and Angela for sharing this and to the volunteer who took the notes for them. Our thoughts are with you.

Ashley's Story

"I have had delays in my benefit payments due to address issues such as having no fixed address, living in a lodge not considered a permanent address and address changes. My bank have been taking half of any payments. I have had to cover charges incurred whilst working and [the bank] said if I don't like it, [to] get my money paid elsewhere, but I can't as I have no ID. 

My latest claim has delayed my payment following address change and Easter holiday leaving me with absolutely nothing. Ultimately the root cause of my entire long term predicament is the break up of my long term relationship with the love of my life which with hindsight rendered me (hopefully temporarily) completely disfunctional. I think about it everyday but am still trying to progress back to normal."

Thanks to Ashley for sharing this with us.

NEW REPORT: Below the Breadline June 2014

The Trussell Trust, Church Action on Poverty and Oxfam have just released a new report titled "Below the Breadline" which examines "The Relentless Rise of Food Poverty in Britain".

"Oxfam and Church Action on Poverty have calculated that 20,247,042 meals were delivered to people in food poverty in 2013/14 by three of the main food aid providers (Trussell Trust, Fareshare and Food Cycle). This is a 54 percent increase on 2012/13, when the same providers distributed just over 13 million meals."

This is a powerful and comprehensive piece of research we would highly recommend to anyone looking to better understand the need for Foodbanks in the UK.

You can download the full report here.

Elizabeth's Story

"I had a diagnosis of cancer at the end of January. Due to a change in benefits plus payments being taken directly from what little benefits we have left, we were left living on £20 a fortnight. I was told that the PIP (Personal Independence Payment) I applied for at the start of February could take up to 6 months to be processed. Most weeks it had been a choice of heat or eat, we're thankful it's getting warmer. Even my partner can't be classed as a carer until the PIP payment is sorted out."

Thank you so much to Liz for sharing her story.

Supermarket Volunteers Needed

Can you spare some time to help at our upcoming July supermarket collections? More details here.

Blacon Community Forum

It was wonderful to attend and speak at the Blacon Community Forum yesterday. Our thanks to Blacon residents for inviting us and for their support for the work we do! Thank you!

If you listened to our presentation (or even if you're just reading this now!) and you're interested in volunteering with us you can see more details of our opportunities and how to apply by clicking here.

Faith in the Community 2014

We were at an event called Faith in the Community yesterday. It was great to share a table and to spend more time with our friends at Mid Cheshire Foodbank and hear about the fantastic work they're doing. Special thanks to Sue, the Mid Cheshire Foodbank Volunteer who made our stall look so pretty!

Workfare Scheme Delayed Again After Voluntary Sector Boycott

A flagship government employment policy is facing further delays following a boycott by over 300 voluntary organisations. The “Help to Work” scheme will force long-term unemployed people to work full-time for six months for no pay, or face losing their benefits.

Today (2 June) is the deadline by which the placements are required by contract to be up and running. But the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is now telling journalists the placements will begin later in the month.

There is speculation that the DWP is struggling to find charities, faith groups or local authorities to host the placements.

Hundreds of voluntary groups have signed the “Keep Volunteering Voluntary” statement to say they will boycott the scheme. They include household name such as Christian Aid, Oxfam, Crisis, Shelter and Scope.

The widespread opposition to the scheme appears to be taking its toll, as an initial launch date of 28 April was replaced by “late May”. Recent DWP comments and evidence on the ground suggest that there has been a further delay, beyond the contractual deadline of 2 June.

Keep Volunteering Voluntary points out that even during the pilot scheme, the DWP failed to find placements for 37 percent of participants.

Some have speculated that the timetable has also been delayed because the government needed to wait until G4S was no longer barred from bidding before it could be awarded the lion's share of the contracts.

News of the delay was described as “more evidence that this punitive, botched and poor thought-out scheme is heading for the rubbish bin of history” by Andy Benson of the National Coalition for Independent Action (NCIA), a group which co-founded Keep Volunteering Voluntary.

Benson added, “Hundreds of voluntary groups have now said they will have nothing to do with it and the number is rising by the day. The government should immediately call a halt to this programme and save wasting £237million of taxpayers' money”.

The organisations backing Keep Volunteering Voluntary point to the impact of benefit sanctions on food poverty and homelessness and believe mandatory work undermines the value of freely given volunteering.

Signatories to the statement include a number of faith-based groups, such as Christian Aid, the Student Christian Movement, Church Action on Poverty, Faiths 4 Change and the Ekklesia thinktank.

In addition, over fifteen local authorities have also pledged not to take part, many through signing up to a pledge launched by Unite the Union's new pledge.

Charity participation in workfare schemes will be further jeopardised if the DWP loses its appeal at the Upper Tier Information Tribunal on 12 June and is forced to reveal the list of organisations hosting placements.

To sign the Keep Volunteering Voluntary Statement, visit http://www.keepvolunteeringvoluntary.net

This article was originally published on Ekklesia. Read the original article.