ILMINSTER NEWS: FoodShare community project needs your support

A CHURCH and community effort which helps to feed those in need, prevents waste and also brings people closer together is looking for help to expand in Ilminster.

Not only does the enterprise help those more vulnerable people in the town, it is also making sure that perishable foods which would otherwise be dumped can actually provide a valuable resource.

But now the organisers would like people to donate more food for the two groups and have also appealed for more volunteers to come forward.

The Minster Church runs a Food Bank and also a Food Share from the Sweet Surprise cafe premises in Silver Street.

The Food Bank, run by retired clergyman Michael Pragnell and his group of volunteers, operates from 10.30am to midday every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from within the cafe itself.

It provides food to people in the community with a need on a referral voucher basis.

Referrals can be made by the church, schools, social care, health visitors, midwives or through GPs.

All the tins of food - described as ‘store cupboard foods’ and not fresh foods - are donated by parishioners and can be left in the foyer of the Minster Church. People who turn up at Sweet Surprise are then given according to their circumstances.

The second initiative is Food Share, which is run by the Minster’s trainee Pioneer Priest Tracey Hallett - and the partnership of the two groups is collectively providing a valuable resource for people as well as a community focal point.

She was approached by the charity FareShare which aims to fight hunger by tackling food waste by redistributing good food which would otherwise be destined for the waste dump by supermarkets. It would instead be distributed to charities and community groups to provide nutritious meals for vulnerable people. The difference from the Food Bank is that this is not canned food but items still considered as fresh which is about to be dumped by the supermarket. It can include dairy foods, fruit and vegetables and bread - and even meats.

FareShare wanted an organisation in Ilminster to distribute the ‘waste’ food from the Tesco supermarket in the town.

PHOTO – TOP: Pictured (from left) are Fred Albin, Andrew Morris, Betty Albin, Tracey Hallett and Rev Nick Taylor.

PHOTO – RIGHT: Tracey Hallett.

Now, every Friday night, the waste food is collected from Tesco, stored and refrigerated overnight, and on the Saturday is distributed from Sweet Surprise. This is done from the side entrance, under the archway, from 10.30am to midday.

“This food is available to anyone who would like it,” said Tracey. “We do not need any proof of need and do not want to provide any sort of stigma attached to this - it is developing a community enterprise while stopping food from going to waste.

”It has really built up and we have a team of volunteers to run it. It has become a community morning and people now stop to have a cup of tea.

As with the Food Bank, people can receive according to their requirements, a single parent or couple with children will receive more than a single person.

Now Tracey is appealing for help with providing more dairy products for the FoodShare morning. 

“We could really do with more eggs, butter, milk - any dairy products - to offer and would also ask that if anyone has any canned foods for the Food Bank then they can be left at the Minster.

“Tesco have also offered us more food for collection - we would love to do this but would need more volunteers to help provide this valuable community activity. Silver Street Dairies have also been generous contributors supplying good quality donations on a regular basis”.

Tracey has also come up with an idea for Saturday mornings where some of the foods donated could be used for a ‘healthy cooking’ session to help people to cook on a low budget.

“FoodShare is for everyone - not just those on the poverty line,” said Tracey. “Many people are just about managing and we want to support those in our community and not have the food just wasted off.

“The nice thing is that people are not greedy and they only take what they need.”

If you would like to help by providing fresh foods, cans of food or to help as a volunteer please contact Tracey on 07854489753.

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