This year, we have developed our charity strategy to focus on helping the local community with actions as well as fundraising. One of the ways we are achieving this is by working together with the Food Bank at St. Matthew’s church in Redhill.
Food is a basic need, yet there are people who are going hungry because they just don’t have enough money to feed themselves and their families – this is where a Food Bank can help. They provide local families and individuals with essential food supplies to keep them going until a longer-term solution is found.
People requesting food support must be referred by a local agency such as:
- Citizens’ Advice Bureau
- Renewed Hope Trust
- Raven Housing Trust
They will then be provided with essential, non-perishable food items to keep them going while they are having difficulty feeding themselves and their family. The Food Bank may also provide help by topping up gas and electricity cards so that people can stay warm and cook their food.
Previously at Banstead Prep, we have collected resources for the Food Bank as part of our harvest celebrations and this year we have increased our support by collecting monetary donations in January via a non-uniform day, and more recently sending groups of children to visit the Food Bank and help to pack bags for users, ready for them to collect.
During their visits, the children were given a tour of the workings of the Food Bank and an explanation of why they exist, and their aims for helping local people in need. Year 4 were very humbled by the experience and decided it would be great if we could make donations more often. We have therefore decided to collect items during the first week of each month and the Site Team have kindly offered to drive these donations to Redhill in the school minibus.
