Central Task & Finish Group

Feedback Pro forma

Central Locality Forum Action Plan Priority / Promotion of foodbanks across the Central Locality Forum
Attendees / Janine Browne (SDAIS), Pam Birtle (CLF), Kayleigh Garthwaite (Durham University), Keith Williams (Salvation Army), James Hadman (Catalyst), Gareth Rees (CLF), Sarah Robinson (SBC), Sarah Webster (SBC)
Apologies – Marilyn Surtees, Steve Brock & Kevin Hornsby
Discussion
  • SDAIS – have partnered with the Salvation Army and Bridges and have a database which monitors food bank usage. This database also stores the client journey. SDAIS are doing some financial capability work with these clients on budgeting, what food to buy, getting the best value on your gas and electricity etc. Have 6 money advice workers.
  • Pam Birtle has met with Together Middlesbrough which all churches and charities have got together to have a single system. Discussed the slow cooker initiative which involves a 6 week cooking course.
  • Hebron Hall food bank is an offshoot of the Trussell Trust facility at New Life in Billingham
  • A church pay a one off fee of £1,500 to the Trussell Trust to become a foodbank then it is possible to have a number of ‘spokes’ off this in other venues and no fee has to be paid for these additional ‘spokes’. It was discussed that the more spokes that we have in the Central Locality Forum the better. A single system would work more effectively. Opportunities for organisations and residents associations to be involved.
  • Discussion if the spokes have to be based in churches or if they could be located in a community centre and other venues.
  • Discussion on food banks in rural areas. Potential to have a ‘spoke’ in the rural areas. There are pockets of need in the rural areas.
  • Discussion that whoever is hosting a foodbank that they dovetail with a Credit Union collection point

Actions: /
  • Find out how many ‘spokes’ you can have as part of the Trussell Trust model and if the spokes have to be faith based.
  • How to recruit volunteers to this, what training do they have to do
  • Write out to all the food banks currently operating over the Central Locality Forum and invite them to a further task and finish group meeting on this at the beginning of September 2014 to see if they would like to sign up to the Trussell Trust single/model of operation.
  • Sarah Webster to provide a map at the next t&f group with the food banks plotted on it.

Any other information: