Sandiacre ‘Man with Van’ provides local lifeline as part of £100,000 foodbank scheme

Retired physics teacher Pete Wearn has found himself behind the wheel of a major local initiative to keep hard-pressed foodbanks stocked as demand for their services soars.

Aged 74, Pete’s retirement after 32 years teaching has been anything but quiet. Since 2005 he has been chair of the Long Eaton and District 50plus Forum and a committed supporter of the successful New Basford-based ShoeAid charity.

Now he is quite literally one of the driving forces behind Rotary4foodbanks, an initiative to help ensure no-one across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire goes hungry as a result of the Covid crisis.

The Rotary4Foodbanks scheme, run entirely by volunteers, is an East Midlands and South Yorkshire initiative which pools funds and bulk buys staple food supplies at wholesale prices which it distributes to foodbanks across the region.  By the end of July it will have distributed food with a wholesale value of around £100,000 and has plans to extend the scheme as demands on foodbanks continue to rise.

Says Pete: “I had bought a van to transport the kit I use to stage physics demonstrations to primary schools but during lockdown it was sitting idle.  So when my fellow Rotarians said they needed help distributing food pallets to some of the 50 foodbanks across the region, I was only too happy to get behind the wheel and help out.

“The team at ShoeAid offered space in their warehouse for me to store the bulk deliveries of vital food supplies – coffee, tea, tinned fruit, custard and cereals – which I then drive out to around a dozen foodbanks across the region.”

Pete, who lives in Sandiacre with his wife Pat, also a retired teacher, says his work has met with a fantastic response.  “There are so many dedicated volunteers in foodbanks working to stave off hunger amongst some of the region’s most vulnerable individuals and families.  They need and deserve all the help we can give them.  The Rotary4foodbanks programme is a brilliant way of doing that.”

He follows strict hygiene and social distancing measures wherever possible, sanitising the van between drops.  Does he feel at risk himself?  “There is a risk of course,” he says, “and we must all be extra vigilant.  But I am pretty fit – I’ve cycled over 800 miles since the start of lockdown – and that works in my favour.”

While the Rotary4foodbanks scheme is currently operating only in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, the plan is to roll it out more broadly.  “Our members tell us there is a crying need for a similar service to support foodbanks elsewhere in the country. Here in the East Midlands we are leading the way,” says the scheme’s co-ordinator, John Cavey.

Eventually, Rotary hopes that the government will also give financial backing to grow the scheme nationally.  “Until then,” says John, “we are relying on the generosity of the public and businesses to see us through.”

Rotary4foodbanks has launched a just giving page for anyone who wants to donate to help alleviate hunger.

You can support Rotary4Foodbanks through our JustGiving page

Pete Wearn receives thank you from Derbyshire Lord Lieutenant

Rotary4Foodbanks interview on BBC Radio Sheffield

John Stamp was interviewed by Becky Measures on her breakfast show, Saturday 11th July.

You can support Rotary4Foodbanks through our JustGiving page

Foodbank Scheme Which Gives 150% Asks Public For Support

A world-leading charity initiative to supply foodbanks across the region is asking for more help from the public to make sure no-one goes hungry as the post-Covid recession bites.

Rotary4foodbanks has set up a Just Giving page and is asking people to dig deep to help. Its £100,000 programme is already providing much needed food supplies to foodbanks across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire but say the organisers, there is so much more to be done.

In what is believed to be the first scheme of its kind, Rotary Clubs across the region have teamed up and pooled their fund-raising resources to buy goods wholesale for supply to local foodbanks.  “By working at scale and buying at wholesale prices we can get as much as 50% more value for each pound donated,” says the programme organiser Rotarian John Cavey. “We focus on bulk buying the things we know are in big demand – tea, coffee, cereals, tinned fruit – and sharing them out across the many superb foodbanks in the region.”

Since introducing the scheme, just eight weeks ago, Rotary4foodbanks has already delivered over £60,000 worth of food to around 50 foodbanks from Nottingham and Lincoln to Derby, Burton and Sheffield.  “The whole scheme is run by volunteers and we have had tremendous support from businesses who have stepped in to help with logistics and delivery.  But we are still just scratching the surface. Every penny we receive buys food at the best possible price – all our costs are met by volunteers and supporters.

“Rotarians are committed to charitable work in the community and will continue to raise funds for this vital project but we need more help from the public and from businesses across the region.  That is why we have set up our Just Giving page now to make it easy to donate.”

John and his team hope to top £150,000 during the summer and plan to team up with other clubs across the country to extend the Rotary4foodbanks beyond the East Midlands and South Yorkshire region later in the year.

“Foodbanks tell us they are already seeing a huge spike in demand and that they expect that increase to continue as more people lose their jobs and struggle to make ends meet.”

His views are echoed by Paul Laffey who runs the YMCA foodbank in Burton on Trent which has had support from Rotary:

“When a pallet stacked high with porridge, coffee, tea, tinned tuna and other vital supplies arrived, we were overjoyed.  Demand is up by 51% compared with the same period last year, and we expect that to increase still further as the economic impact of the pandemic unfolds.  We rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations like Rotary to ensure that those in crisis in our community don’t go hungry.”

Anyone wishing to support the Rotary4foodbanks initiative can donate by visiting the Just Giving page