you know the rest… except this isn’t a cupboard, it’s a Storehouse for feeding your community.

Please consider helping us reach your community on your behalf

Ever wondered, “What am I doing here?”

“Why has it happened to me?”, well it could be that ‘it’ or ‘here’ is for such a time as this ….

Our name just happens to be Black Country Foodbank but it’s probably the strap-line underneath that is more descriptive of us.

The book of Esther tells the story of a frightened young lady, who when her people were in trouble was in the right place at the right time to be able to intervene. I think BCFB is just like that young lady; privileged to be in place at the right time to be able to act on behalf of our community.

A couple of weeks ago, I just happened to be at The Storehouse, two children’s workers came in to get help for a desperate family. The five children had been saved from going in to ‘care’ by a member of the extended family taking them in, however their new family was struggling to clothe and provide for the extra children while all the financials were being sorted. One of the volunteers and I were able to sort and provide; five sets of clothing, bedding, towels, food and toiletries. For such a time as this family were going through….

One lady who came to The Storehouse last week looking for help (we don’t encourage clients to visit that site, just the project workers), she didn’t want food just advice and a shoulder to cry on. Middle-aged, single mum of two older teenagers, well presented, articulate and homeless! Her and her boys were ‘sofa-surfing’, each in a different place with extended family and friends. Could we find her somewhere to live – no, but we were able to offer hope in the form of genuine hospitality and one phone call to potentially the right person. She wouldn’t accept our offer of food and toiletries as she “could manage”. She left us smiling with the sight of a “bit of light at the end of a very dark tunnel”.

By the time you read this sweeping Welfare Reforms will have gone live across the country, here in the Black Country we’re trying our best to address some of the additional needs that have arisen already but we can’t do it on our own. We’re partnering not only with our community on a very local basis but also with our regional local authorities to deliver the social fund replacement in the most fair, dignified and accountable way we can.

Are we always going to get it just right; I doubt it, but we’ll have fun trying. I had one of those spontaneous shopping moments recently when I spotted a sign that said, “We don’t make mistakes, we do variations!”, of course I had to buy it and I stuck it up in the Storehouse for the volunteers so that they know we’re never going to get it right every time but we keep trying!

There’s been so much in the media in the last few weeks about ministries like ours not being a dignified or empowering method of helping people in crisis. Who’d have thought this would be raised at UN level;

“A top United Nations official has warned that the explosion of British people relying on foodbanks could represent a human rights abuse.

The UK’s food poverty crisis, marked by a tenfold increase in the use of foodbanks since the start of the recession, attracted the attention of Olivier de Schutter, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.

Schutter reminded the Government of its “duty to protect” the basic human right to an adequate diet at a talk in London.” read the Independent’s full article here

Makes me wonder why we’re here; but only sometimes! W

Man it’s been eventful here over the past couple of months…………

The rain kept coming in through the roof an’ windows,  the ‘phones just won’t stop ringing, the emails keep a coming and then the BBC turn up!

Can’t be bad y’know for a little outfit from the Black Country.

Yes, this 2012!

We’ve had a young couple sleeping in a tent locally that we’ve been helping and supporting for about three weeks now.

Please will anyone, who has a heart to, pray that they’re found somewhere to live asap.

And still we keep on feeding and clothing local people in crisis……………

Walsall and Dudley distribution centres are reporting that they’re feeding more people, especially families. For instance I’ve had a text message from Church @ Junction 10, Walsall; in just three sessions, totalling just 9 hours, they’ve fed 88adults & 52 children. That’s 1400 meal equivalents in 9 hours!

Without you’re continued support we couldn’t do any of this.

I’ve just had a lady brought to the Storehouse by a Children’s Centre for clothing and bedding, thank goodness you’ve all been so generous. We managed to find everything she needed with the exception of boys shoes, I know boys can be tough on their footwear.

Because of your generosity we were also able to provide basic school uniforms which means Mum can think about decent shoes for the children in September.

Mum was so grateful and wanted to know how bcfb was started, when we told her about the God-given vision back in 2002 and starting on my dining-room table she started to praise and thank God for His provision

You missed a great time on Sunday;  Blue Watch at Brierley Hill Fire Station held a charity car wash and split the proceeds between The Fire Fighters Charity and ourselves. click here for more info.

Kelvin’s been in from The Storehouse and even though we had 1.75tons of food donated by 300 church youth from across the Dudley borough there are a few items we’re short of, if you wouldn’t mind sharing the burden and asking your community to donate just one item each.

Tinned RICE PUDDING

Tinned TOMATOES

Small Tinned MEAT

UHT (longlife) MILK

and if you wouldn’t mind; JAM as a treat

SHAMPOO

SHOWER GEL

Men’s DEODORANT

Adult & Children’s TOOTHPASTE

Please click here for our full shopping lists and here for our 2012 Harvest Pack.

Don’t forget we’re closing The Storehouse for a break from this Friday, 3^rd August, and will reopen on Monday 13^th August.

If you need anything please email; admin@blackcountryfoodbank.org.uk as someone has offered to check that address daily, all other addresses & ‘phones will be unmanned.

Blue Watch at Brierley Hill Fire Station held a charity Car Wash on Sunday 29th July splitting the proceeds between The Fire Fighters Charity and Black Country Foodbank.

They raised £360 on the day with many drivers making donations without getting their cars washed.

“Mary” gets a soaking!

Everyone who did “drive thru” was then given information on the local community services that our West Midlands  Fire Service provides and info about BCFB.

A massive THANK YOU from everyone @ BCFB!

We’re also working and partnering with WMFS to ensure that any household that comes to us via a voucher will be asked if they would like WMFS to come out and do a home safety check for them, at no cost, and we’ll make the referral contact with their local station.

This is just another way we at BCFB are trying to help in our community.

Hallelujah, looks like Summer’s arrived at last; how very British!

You know when people make comments about “the yoof of today”, “they don’t know, they’re too young”;

well, I beg to differ…………….

Last Saturday night 300 youngsters from churches across the Dudley borough held a concert at the Dormston Mill Theatre, Sedgley with the purpose of collecting food to donate to The Big Meal Deal (lunches for children during school holidays) & Black Country Foodbank.

They donated an awesome 1.75 tons of food just doing what they love to do, worship!

What they and the rest of our regular donors do every day is nothing short of miraculous, they give and give again, right across this Black Country community.

At BCFB, we know that during the school holidays the number of children we feed  goes up by approx. 28%, as it has for that last six years but this year others are getting involved with trying to address this hidden child poverty. BCFB, with Dudley CVS and local churches across Dudley are providing meals to youngsters, referred anonymously by their schools, who quite possibly would be going hungry during the long school break. It may not be a perfect solution, if ever there could be one, but someone’s doing something! As I found on the One Heart Sound facebook page:

Question: What can we do together that we can’t do ourselves?

Answer: LOT’S!!!!

and that’s exactly what this community does, we at bcfb  just act as the conduit for your generousity!

A Quick Update on the Premises

I’ve had to leave the office early today as the windows and roof are leaking so badly that it’s not a pleasant place to be…..

I’ve covered the remaining electronics, unplugged the mains, the router & ‘phone etc. I’ve covered the desks and the widowsill with towels and have to just hope we’ll be able to work next week.

Thank goodness the Storehouse seems to be holding up and the stock is dry!

Wendy & Jen's office windowsill

Wendy & Jen’s desks….

No, it's not sun loungers at a hotel!

It’s no good we can’t hang out here for much longer….

Foodbank has outgrown our current premises and needs a new home.

Today has just brought it home how urgent the need is; the downpour this morning meant that we were running round with buckets and towels tr

ying to save the IT and ‘phones as well as ourselves from the wet.

We need approx. 10,000 ft2 + office space an’ we ain’t got much money!

Any businesses out there in the Black Country…have you got an industrial unit laying idle costing you business rates and deteriorating t’boot?

Local Authorities, do you have anywhere we could use?

The need for our services is growing every day and we need to be safe & dry to keep doing what we’re doing.

Our volunteers are amazing; in the past six years they’ve fed an astonishing 18,770 people across our Black Country, given away countless  pieces of clothing, bedding & sleeping bags and to be perfectly frank they deserve a beautiful place to work, not just enough or “that’ll do for the time being”, oooh don’t get me started.

It was our 6th Birthday on 21st June and to be honest I never thought we’d still be doing this, let alone growing as much as we are. The needs there, we have the ability and resources to fulfill the need BUT if we don’t find somewhere soon we won’t be able to operate.

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down And the flood rose up, up, upper Pooh, too, was caught and so he thought "I must rescue my supper!"

Hi Everyone

We know times are tough out there and you’re being asked to help people in poverty left, right and centre BUT seriously we’re struggling to feed the numbers of families that need our help.

Yesterday we had not one tin of fruit on the shelves and only six tins of tomatoes. We have NO Vegetarian Ready Meals and only approx. a week’s supply of Breakfast Cereals.

We know that our stocks get low in June (have done for the past five years) but the level of need is increasing daily but the stock’s not keeping apace.

Please, please would you buy one item from our shopping lists to donate and drop it off at any of our Distribution Centres or a local church and let them know it’s for Foodbank.

Thank you so much for your support over the last six years,

You’ve fed an astonishing 18770 people in those six years, how amazing is that……..

Read our review of the year here

Mary Creagh, Labour MP for Wakefield and Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, visited Black Country Foodbank on Friday 2^nd March and spent an hour talking with volunteer staff.  

During her visit, Mary learnt that during 2011, over 43 tonnes of food had been donated and nearly 7000 people throughout the Black Country, including 2,500 children, had been fed by the Foodbank.

Mary is a supporter of foodbanks, including those her own area in the North of England and was very impressed with the set up at the Black Country Foodbank’s warehouse based in Halesowen.

Mary said: “It was a real pleasure to meet with the volunteers from Black Country Foodbank today and to see the fantastic work they are doing to support local people who have fallen on hard times.”

“Sadly, the need for this type of service is growing sharply across the country but it’s thanks to the wonderful efforts of organisations like Black Country Foodbank and the generosity of the local community that provide a vital lifeline to those experiencing crisis” added Mary.

Wendy Fryatt, Co-ordinator at the Foodbank said: “We’re really delighted that Mary has taken the time to visit us and find out about the work we do in supporting local people in crisis. It’s been a very positive experience for everyone involved with the Foodbank. It’s really important that senior politicians of all parties are aware of the real struggle so many families are facing right now and the role that Foodbanks play in helping these people.”

The Foodbank volunteer team at New Hope

Black Country Foodbank has opened a new distribution point in Coseley. Called New Hope, the distribution point will be run from Darkhouse Baptist Church, Coseley to deliver emergency food supplies to people and families in the local area.

The development is the result of the partnership between Black Country Foodbank,  Darkhouse Baptist Church and Christchurch Coseley, enabling Foodbank to expand its much needed services into this area of Dudley. It now sees the Foodbank operate from 9 locations across Dudley and Walsall.

Wendy Fryatt, Co-ordinator at Foodbank says: “Last year we saw demand for our services increase by 32% where we fed almost 7000 people. The current economic climate and spiralling costs of living are tipping more and more people and families into poverty and there are real tragic stories from people who simply can’t afford to eat.”

“We first started talking about this about a year ago and so to see the project up and running is great. We hope to offer a source of hope, as well as food, to local people in need” said Dave Umbers of Darkhouse Baptist Church.

The new distribution point opened on 28^th February and will be open very Tuesday between 10am and 2.00pm to provide food parcels to people referred there by local agencies.