More Than A Free Meal
By Susan Desrosiers
As the days grow shorter and many people across the country are forced to choose between heating their home or feeding their family, there is one place in Rye where help is at hand. Rye foodbank is housed in the Rye Baptist Church on Cinque Ports Street. When I met manager Bob Harper there last week, I heard how the people of the town and surrounding villages can get real help in the challenging months to come. Bob runs two teams of volunteers who alternate shifts to receive the food, stack it on shelves, and finally bag it up for the families and individuals who require it.
At present they’re supplying food to approximately 40 families, up from 29 I’m told just a few weeks ago, and shifting some 40kg of groceries. When I asked Bob what the criteria was for accessing this free service, the answer was simple, “If people need food, we give it to them”. Here there are no vouchers required, unlike many foodbanks. But the biggest distinction that marks out Rye Foodbank is a more in-depth approach to users’ needs: if the same household requires help for more than a few weeks, a conversation takes place to find out if and how other help is needed. Bob points out that advice is given face-to-face, but behind a screen for privacy – acknowledging that people may not want their peers to know the details of their situation.
The foodbank’s discussions go beyond simple signposting. A worker from Hastings Advice and Representation Centre (HARC) attends each week to provide practical recommendations, and help people resolve underlying problems like issues around housing, benefits and debt. This is crucial in identifying the causes of households’ difficulties, and providing solutions so that they don’t remain dependent on foodbank assistance.
Bob told me about one client who HARC discovered had been paying extra housing tax for years and so was eligible for a significant refund. Both the reduction in tax and the refund meant they no longer required help with their weekly shop. In addition to the HARC representative, a virtual link to Rother District Council is available, which is an invaluable service when waiting times seem endless and phone credit is running low.
The ongoing supply of food and financial support for this service comes from several sources. There is some help from the government through the household support grant and Little Cheyne Court Windfarm Community Grant, but Bob tells me it is mainly through private and business donations that the charity stays afloat. One local enterprise, the Hands of Hope charity based in Hawkhurst, regularly donates fresh produce to the foodbank – providing much-needed nutritional fruit and vegetables, often the most expensive items on a family’s food list.
If anyone in the Rye area is in need of help or would be interested in donating to the charity, contact Bob or Penny on 07526 349847 or drop in at the foodbank on Wednesdays from 9 to 3.30. The phone number is checked at least twice a day, so do leave a message and they will get back to you. Your call really is important to them They’re there to help and in these difficult times, it’s good to talk.
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