Arnold Foodbank gets Rotary boost as demand for food parcels soars in Nottingham

Arnold Foodbank is receiving 100 requests every week for food parcels and that number is set to increase still further as the economic downturn bites, warns foodbank manager Helen Lloyd.

But a new £100,000 scheme by local Rotary Clubs is providing a vital lifeline for Arnold Foodbank and others across the region, as Sherwood Sunrisers Rotary Club’s Val Leivers explains:
“Organisations like Arnold Foodbank do brilliant work at local level in the community. They rely for supplies on the support of supermarkets, businesses and the general public making donations.  As local Rotarians we wanted to help in a big way too.  Delivering 150 cases of food supplies seemed a good way to do that.

“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.”

According to Helen Lloyd, who heads a team of volunteers running the Arnold operation from Daybrook Baptist Church on Mansfield Rd, the foodbank is seeing more new users needing food than ever before:
“As the furlough system ends and more people face redundancy, we are expecting to see demand increase still further.  We are bracing ourselves for the second wave.  We enjoy marvellous support from local supermarkets and the general public but the additional help we are now getting from Rotary is proving a real lifeline, providing us with bulk supplies of key staples like tea, coffee, cereal and tinned fruit at a time of real need for so many vulnerable people locally.”

The Arnold team has been operating a delivery service during lockdown, with volunteer drivers ensuring that people as far afield as Carlton and Basford who are unable to collect food parcels don’t go hungry. 
Since its formation in 1994, Sherwood Sunrisers Rotary Club has helped many thousands of people and raised over £500,000 for good causes, most of which has been used to support community projects in Sherwood and Nottingham.

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Arnold Foodbank

Part of the Trussell Trust, Arnold Foodbank operates out of Daybrook Baptist Church, Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG5 6AA

It distributes food – primarily three day parcels of balanced nutritious food for individuals and families – between 1.30 and 3.00pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

It is run primarily by volunteers and depends on donations and support from supermarkets, businesses, individuals and other charities to complete its vital community work.

Thirteen million people live below the poverty line in the UK. Arnold Foodbank provides a minimum of 3 days emergency food to help people in a crisis. The Foodbank is supported and run by local churches in Arnold. To volunteer, donate, or find out more about its services, visit https://arnold.foodbank.org.uk/

Sherwood Sunrisers Rotary Club

The club currently has 18 members. Since its formation in 1994, Sherwood Sunrisers has helped many thousands of people and raised over £500,000 for good causes, most of which has been used to support community projects in Sherwood and Nottingham.

Contact: Val Leivers

E: val_leivers@yahoo.co.uk