News

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the amazing people in Sticklepath, who continue to support The Okehampton Food Bank through their generous donations. Your contributions play a crucial role in enhancing the well-being of our community, and we cannot thank you enough for your unwavering commitment to those who are finding life tough at the moment. It is through your kindness and generosity that we can provide essential food aid to those who need it most.

A special thank you to Carol, Chris, and the Sticklepath Stores who have been instrumental in our efforts over many years as key food donors. Your dedication to helping those facing challenges is nothing short of remarkable. The help you give the food bank serves as a powerful reminder of the difference we can make when we come together for a common cause.

We truly appreciate the support we receive from all of you which is vital to our mission. Your compassion and kindness enable us to continue our work, and we are profoundly grateful for every one of you. Together, we are creating a positive change in the lives of many, and it is heartwarming to see how our collective efforts are making a real difference in the community.

Thank you for being such an essential part of our work.

  1. The Okement Centre receives food donations 5 days a week on our behalf and gives out emergency food parcels 5 days a week when we are not on-site, working together for the good of the community.
  2. We continue to receive donations of pasties and pies from a local bakery every week which are very popular.
  3. We received a large donation from a local recycling company for which we are very grateful.
  4. A group of local business people bought £2000 worth of chocolates, cakes, coffee and Christmas foods for us to give out at Christmas and beyond. Thankyou.
  5. We regularly receive Waitrose Vouchers from a prominent local charity which we can give to families meeting our donation criteria.
  6. Our Christmas collection outside Waitrose provided £200  and three weeks’ worth of food.
  7.  We received a wonderful donation of Christmas chocolates from a lovely couple who continue to support the food bank.
  8. We received all the Advent calendars we needed but, at the last minute, a family with five children came into the food bank. We checked the donation basket at Waitrose and a kind supporter had put five calendars in the basket, so we had the exact number we needed.
  9. Nearly all food bank donors have updated their direct debits to our new bank account.
  10. New donors are finding us every week. Donations don’t need to be large. Every £1 helps.
  11. We have applied for full charitable status.
  12. Five people have agreed to be trustees of our charity.
  13. There are now individuals and local businesses making regular monthly financial donations to The Okehampton Food Bank.

Since August, there has been a consistent increase in the number of families relying on the food bank, highlighting the ongoing necessity for our services and the effectiveness of our operation.

Our success is made possible by the continuous backing of people and businesses in our community, along with the amazing volunteers who lend their support. We are also thankful for the devoted prayer army in Sussex and God who has answered prayers.

  1. The council paid for the materials to install shelving in our food store.
  2. Pat a local carpenter fitted the shelves for free, well almost. We paid two pasties and endless cups of tea!
  3. During September, the harvest festival collections came from the same local churches in and around Okehampton that have always supported us, as well as fourteen schools. If anyone has not received a thank you letter yet, please send me a text and I will get one in the post. We have been so busy, keeping up with admin is taking a little longer than usual.
  4. Although The Baptist Church would not return our stock and equipment, as they had already given it away, they did very kindly return all the jars of chutney we made in 2023 as well as our 60-foot foodbank banner so, that is a positive move.
  5. We received an extremely gracious donation that safeguards the food bank for some time.
  6. The Waitrose Partners have been such an encouragement with their friendly manner and generous offers of help.
  7. Waitrose customers have been marvellous and have donated everything we need when we need it, it is quite remarkable.  The donation basket has been overflowing every day since October.
  8. Thank you to all the Lidl Customers who continue to donate, and Lidl for supplying us with bread and pastries.
  9. All the staff at the Okement Centre have been very helpful and particularly patient in the early days…yes we will get rid of the bookcase.
  10. We have a symbiotic relationship with the Community Fridge, also based in the Ockment Centre. We are able to share excess stock with them and use some of their fresh vegetables when we are short. We recommend that the families who use the food bank also use the community fridge which is a resource for all and prevents good food from going to waste.

To be continued…

A difficult year.

Undoubtedly, 2024 is a year that some of us would like to erase from our memories. It’s easy to get caught up by the negative in times of struggle, but eventually, we must pick ourselves up and carry on.

The volunteers exemplified this spirit by diving into the work that needed to be done. As I reflected on our journey since July, I was amazed at how much we’ve accomplished together with the help of countless individuals in our community.

An encouraging list

  1. When we were closed by the Baptist Church in July last year, not one of our volunteers left us. They all remained to carry on the important work that the food bank began in 2008.
  2. We maintain close links with our primary referral agencies and have had many new professional bodies and charities refer their clients to us.
  3. Thanks to a kind benefactor, the Okement Centre room is paid for a year in advance. The new site is preferable to the church shop because, it’s closer to Lidl and Waitrose, provides a more private atmosphere for families visiting us, and is shared with various other charities that partner with the Food Bank.
  4. The Okement centre provided a permanent storage room.
  5. One particular donor very kindly gave us a fridge and freezer as well as a £300 donation which enabled us to reopen.
  6. Two  £500 donations were made into the new foodbank bank account in July/August which enables us to fully stock our fridge with dairy and eggs.
  7. A new phone was set up and paid for by one of our donors.
  8. We received funding to continue with our website.
  9. Three volunteers stepped up to take over the roles of Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary.

To be continued…