PUTTING FOOD ON THE TABLE WHEN IT ’ S NEEDED MOST
Sam Watts from Winchester Basics Bank reveals how the pandemic has made the good work of the city charity all the more essential
COMMUNITY
So many of the people who come to Winchester Basics Bank say they never imagined they ’ d need help , says operations manager Sam Watts . “ People come for help for a wide variety of reasons . Redundancies and furlough in the last 12 months have brought with them additional need . Those in the hospitality sector who have been furloughed but counted on tips to make up their wages have been particularly hard hit .
“ For others , illness , injury , the death of the breadwinner and unexpected bills for things like car repairs can have a big impact . Benefits take time to process , and savings can whittle down very quickly indeed .”
Set up in 2004 by Churches Together in Winchester and supported by Winchester City Council , the charity , based in Highcliffe , provides emergency groceries , toiletries , cleaning products and clothes for hundreds of individuals and families every year . It now has additional hubs in Weeke and New Alresford and at the Vineyard Church .
Short-dated and excess food is donated from supermarkets via the nationwide charity FareShare and collected locally in supermarkets and by organisations across the city . It also comes in direct from individuals .
“ We supply one week of food , up to eight times a year – which covers the time that it often takes for a benefit claim to be processed ,” Sam says . “ Clients are usually referred to us by local agencies , but since the pandemic we have accepted self-referrals too .”
She continues , “ Winchester is one of the most expensive cities to live in the UK , which means residents typically put aside a larger chunk of their income for housing than they would elsewhere . That creates added strain on what they have left , when their income is suddenly cut .”
It ’ s not always easy to ask for support . “ None of us wants to be in a situation where we need emergency help for anything ,” Sam says . “ But a bit like A & E , the Basics Bank is there for a reason , and most of our clients use us just once or twice , when they really need to .
“ There is no shame in asking for help from the community – that ’ s what we ’ re here for . We make no judgements about anyone who comes to us .”
Sam adds , “ Being able to meet your own needs and those of your family is something we all want to be able to do . Helping people who are going through a really difficult time by just putting food on the table makes a massive difference to those we support .”
www . winchesterbasicsbank . co . uk
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