Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656

Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Narthex to open foodbank

November 07 2011
 Demand has risen sharply over the last year

 

Church Charity Narthex Sparkhill will be opening a new foodbank in Birmingham to help to provide meals for those most in need.

Chair of trustees at Narthex, John Self, says: “We have been running a Refugee and Asylum Seeker Resource Centre for a number of years, mostly helping pregnant mothers and parents with young children in need of support, but have seen the demand for food parcels rise dramatically over the past year, with those who are destitute, experiencing short-term loss of benefits, and economic migrants with no access to public funds all increasingly requiring help.”

To help cope with this demand, Narthex have joined forces with the Trussell Trust, which operates a nationwide network of foodbanks, including two in Birmingham, to help them increase the number of food parcels they give out from around 450 to 1,200 a year. The parcels have three days’ supply of food in each, and there are foods to cater to different religions and dietary requirements.

They have received funding from the Big Lottery Fund, which will cover premises rental, staff wages and other running costs for five years, but all food will be from donations from individuals, churches, schools and other sources.

The centre is due to open in mid-December in Sparkhill, and in early December they will be recruiting volunteers to help at the centre. Clients will need to be referred by an appropriate agency, and any agencies interested in referring should contact the foodbank directly. If you need a food parcel, contact the foodbank to ask who can refer you, on 0121 772 0909, email foodbank@narthex.org.uk; or ask an agency you are in contact with to get in touch.

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