Food bank volunteers to get distribution training (From Essex County Standard)

er.....tomorrow is wednesday !!!!!!

a letter from food bank to volunteers with knew news. the part i think you may be interested in is the bit were we are meant to say no to people! even though the store room is over flowing me must turn aware starving crying people but god bless!!!


Dear All.

I am sending this as an update on some changes which have, and, God
willing, soon will take place and to let you know of a training session
connected with these.

Colin Schooling has retired as treasurer, and Clive Joyce has kindly
taken on this responsibility.

Marcus Rusieky is handing over the running of the website to Linda Hurr.

Don Blackwood has taken on some of the admin work, particularly in
respect of dealing with the vouchers.

From the beginning of March the distribution point will move from Angel
Court to the Salvation Army Citadel in Butt Road. Colchester Council are
closing Angel Court and will no longer be able to help us by issuing the
food. The intention is that food will be issued from the Citadel on
Tuesday and Thursday mornings. There will generally be someone from the
Salvation Army present, but basically it will be people from the
foodbank dealing with the issuing. There is a need for people willing to
be involved in this. Those involved must be reliable (it will be
difficult for others if someone fails to turn up), able to talk to
recipients and to pray with them, and, possibly most difficult, be
sympathetic with everyone but able to say no to those who should not be
getting the food, even if they are crying or belligerent.

A training session has been arranged for all wishing to be involved with
this part of the work. It is at the Salvation Army Citadel on Thursday
31st January at 10.30 in the morning. If you would like to attend the
training session please let us know on the foodbank email.

Those who work at the warehouse know that it is now cramped to the
extent that it is difficult to work there efficiently. It is hoped to
move to a larger warehouse soon - possibly in a few weeks. There will be
a need for help with the moving and the additional space should allow
more people to work at a time in the warehouse.

I will take the liberty of thanking everyone on behalf of the committee
for all the work done and to wish everyone a Happy 2013. God Bless. Ray
Cantrell (Secretary, Colchester Foodbank)

God Bless.
Ray
(Ray Cantrell, Secretary, Colchester Foodbank)

SOMETHING2SAY wrote:
er.....tomorrow is wednesday !!!!!!

The story must be scheduled for publication in Wednesday's printed paper. Usually they put the day in brackets with asterisks and capital letters but in this case it seems they forgot to do so.
Note that iainofford's post, after yours, makes the correct date clear.
.
iainofford, I agree it sounds harsh, but do you write from personal; experience of genuinely deserving people being turned away?

Apologies for pleonastic semicolon.

that was a copy of the letter sent out to all volunteers recently.

i didnt do that side of it thankfully as i dont think i could. i helped them clear there last store room, throwing away boxes and boxes of food once because it was left to late and became out of date. also i know some of the companies handing out the vouches and they are give specific rules only 3 vouches max per person no matter what the circumstances are how much they may need a meal and these are people with children who are trying to get work, older people who have been made redundant and people in education that may have had there money stopped and nothing can be done to help them for a week, its them people that are told no you cant have any food we would prefer to let it sit in our stock rooms go out of date and through it away.

iainofford wrote:
that was a copy of the letter sent out to all volunteers recently.

i didnt do that side of it thankfully as i dont think i could. i helped them clear there last store room, throwing away boxes and boxes of food once because it was left to late and became out of date. also i know some of the companies handing out the vouches and they are give specific rules only 3 vouches max per person no matter what the circumstances are how much they may need a meal and these are people with children who are trying to get work, older people who have been made redundant and people in education that may have had there money stopped and nothing can be done to help them for a week, its them people that are told no you cant have any food we would prefer to let it sit in our stock rooms go out of date and through it away.

OK, it is clearer now, thanks. What a shame that food is wasted in that way. Maybe the Salvation Army can do a better job.