During September, we have noticed a significant increase in the number of children needing help from Rye Food Bank. A more usual situation had been the number of children being half the number of adults. We now see equal numbers, and this seems common across the Bexhill food bank network which covers our local area. We think it must be related to school meal vouchers no longer being available now youngsters are back at school.
Our team at the Baptist Hall are the same volunteers we have had since the beginning of the pandemic, and due to the need for social distancing, we need to keep to the same numbers for the space we have. We are aware others have kindly offered to come and help and hopefully we will be able to include training sessions so we can allow new people to join the team in due course.
In the last couple of months we have been refining our procedures and general practices so that we can be as efficient as possible. One of the biggest changes is that Ash and Bob have built additional shelving and installed racking in the cupboard in the Baptist Hall so that we can keep more stores here on our main site, rather than keeping having to collect products from the store in Church Square. The generous loan of the premises at the Baptist church are invaluable to us and we are very thankful to Baptist Minister Rev. Fiona Gill and her deacons.
Donating to the Food Bank is one of the most important ways you can help your community at this time. We need to ensure we have adequate stocks of food to meet the demand, especially when furlough ends.
At present we need more toiletries: shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste and soap. Anything you can donate is very much appreciated. We are open at the Baptist Hall, behind the church in Cinque Ports street on Wednesdays from 9am. The Food Bank is open at 1pm until 3pm.
Please keep your donations coming. We are now opening on Wednesdays only at the Baptist Hall in Cinque Ports Street in Rye to receive donations and for clients to visit.
Monetary donations can be sent to the Bexhill Food Bank Rye Branch at Barclays Bank, sort code 20-54-25, account number 83501116, through the Jempson Foundation or cheques to Rye Food Bank c/o 24 North Salts, Rye. If you donate via the Jempson Foundation and are a taxpayer, gift aid can be applied, thereby increasing the value of the donation by 25% at no cost to the donor.
You can contact Rye Food Bank at ryefoodbank@gmail.com. If you need help from Rye Foodbank contact Rother District CAB 01424 215055 email: help@rotherdistrictcab.org.uk, or the Hastings Advice & Representation Centre (HARC) on 0333 344 0681, email: info@harcuk.com.
Image Credits: Rye Food Bank .