Author: amy

Hi my name is Sally and I am a volunteer at the Lincoln Community Grocery (LCG).
I became aware of the LCG when a friend shared a post on social media, I looked further into it and loved what was happening and had this strong feeling of wanting to get involved. The first thing I did was I contacted the LGC manager Kerry who arranged for a taster shift of two hours for me – I loved it. I couldn’t wait to come back and be a fully-fledged volunteer with this amazing team.

So far this year we have had 1400 referrals and have helped 3100 people (1040 of those were children), that is a 64% increase on the same period for last year and a 188% increase from 2019 (pre covid). 

All the food that goes out is donated, so far this year we have given out 23,251 tonnes of food and have collected 13.3 tonnes. All of our reserves are now depleted and we are in desperate need of donations.

Due to this  massive spike in demand an emergency food collection at Tesco was organised for last weekend and we are so grateful for the response. 

Since September Lincoln Foodbank has been lucky enough to have our own Citizens Advisor working within our Distribution Centers. This has meant that people coming for a food parcel can seek additional help immediately. 

With the Cost of Living Crisis and the rise in gas and electricity our advisor has been incredibly busy offering essential advice which has helped 93 people achieve an estimated total income gain of £175,052 and 25% of the people he had seen now no longer need to use the Foodbank service. 

I started working for Lincoln Foodbank in 2015 and during that year we helped 2185 people with emergency food parcels. Last year Lincoln Foodbank helped 4524 people in crisis with emergency food parcels, 1600 of those people were children. That’s a massive 107% increase in people needing support.

Situations like ill health, job loss or a global pandemic can happen to any of us, however, if you are living on or below the poverty line (like 1/4 children in Lincoln are) it’s going to start that spiral into crisis meaning you can’t afford the essentials like gas, electricity or food.

This weekend has been our 3 day food collection at Tesco for Lincoln Foodbank. Whilst there I had the opportunity to interview Chris, who has served on a number of the Foodbank teams over the last 18 months. Here’s what he had to say: 

On the 5th October our Community Grocery store will be opening at Central Methodist Church. This will be a great opportunity for those needing to use Foodbank on a regular basis to be able to shop in a supermarket and pay for their food – but at a fraction of the price. The opening of the Community Grocery will undoubtedly have an impact on the Foodbank.  I caught up with one of our Distribution Centre Managers and this is what he had to say:

By Amy Colley – Lincoln Foodbank Coordinator

This week I went to the Bridge Community Hub to catch up with one of our amazing volunteers Charlotte. Charlotte first came to the Foodbank at the Bridge Community Hub as she was having an incredibly difficult time in her life. 10 months on Charlotte is now one of our Foodbank volunteers, she helps at the Bridge Community Hub twice a week and is an absolute asset to our team. 

By Amy Colley – Lincoln Foodbank Coordinator

At Lincoln Foodbank we have always said that we ‘provide 3 day emergency food parcels for local people in crisis’ but really it’s about so much more. The heart behind Foodbank is to build genuine connections with people and help empower them out of their current situation.