Antrim Foodbank opens five days

Northern Ireland, United Kingdom Oct 20, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - The tireless work of Antrim Foodbank's volunteers was recently recognised at the Spirit of Volunteering Awards 2022 hosted by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council in Mossley Mill.

The Spirit of Volunteering Awards recognise the unsung heroes in our Borough who dedicate so much of their lives to volunteering.

Thanks to those volunteers, Antrim Foodbank is now running sessions across the Town every weekday, including Monday evenings.

Fionnuala O'Donnell, Project Manager, said:

"The work we do simply wouldn't happen without the tireless efforts of our volunteers.  We are delighted that their work has been recognized in the Spirit of Volunteering Awards.

 At Antrim Foodbank, we exist not to exist. We are now running sessions five days a week to meet the increasing need in our Town. Our goal of a Hunger-Free Future seems further away than ever."  

As part of The Trussell Trust network of food banks, Antrim Foodbank is an Oasis Antrim Community Support Hub programme that operates on a referral basis.

If you need help, your first step is to get a food bank voucher.  These can be obtained from referral partners including Community Advice, St Vincent de Paul, Home Start, Women's Aid, and Social Services.

Fionnuala added:

"It is a stark statistic that 41% of recipients of Universal Credit are in work, without enough income to stay warm, fed, and dry.  

Our Monday evening sessions with the Family Caring Centre in Rathenraw have been tailored to meet the needs of people working through the day."

Emma Revie, chief executive at the Trussell Trust, said:  

"We are deeply concerned that 40% of people claiming Universal Credit are skipping meals, as winter approaches, and this is only going to get worse for people who already struggling to get by."

You can support the work of Antrim Foodbank by donating food, time, and money. For more information, please visit their website at antrim.foodbank.org.uk.

ENDS

Contact:

Fionnuala O'Donnell, Project Manager at Antrim Foodbank, can be reached at [email protected] or 028 9454 8555

Photo: Attached: "Spirit of... Antrim Foodbank"

Back Row (L to R): Robert Jones, Pauline Bannister, Norman Neill. Front Row (L to R): Ruth Downey, Stephen Brown, Jocelyn Brown, Myra Hutchinson, Janice Neill, Mary Yates, Valerie McLaughlin, Beverly Kilpatrick

Notes to Editor:

• Antrim Foodbank has been providing three days of emergency food and support to local people since 2016.
• 1,429 emergency food parcels were provided by Antrim Foodbank between April 2021 and March 2022
• Antrim Foodbank is a community programme run by Oasis Antrim Community Support Hub: oasisantrim.org/foodbank
• For more info, visit foodbank.org.uk
• Antrim Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust network.  For UK-wide Trussell Trust food bank statistics, visit trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/

 For more info, visit antrim.foodbank.org.uk  

Antrim Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust's network. For UK-wide statistics from across the network, contact [email protected]

About the Trussell Trust: 

• We're here to end the need for food banks in the UK.
• We support a UK-wide network of more than 1,300food bank centers and together we provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty, and campaign for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.
• Our most recent figures for the number of emergency food supplies provided by our network:trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/
• The Trussell Trust's food bank network brings together volunteers, staff, and supporters of all faiths and none to make a difference. Local churches play a vital part in this work, with around 12,000 churches activelyinvolved in donating food, and providing venues, volunteers, and financial support for food banks.
• You can read more about our work attrusselltrust.org
  
  

Media Contact

Paul Sullivan

[email protected]

+442894548555

10d High Street

https://antrim.foodbank.org.uk