Chichester City are proud to announce the first of the 2022/23 season ‘Feed Local People In Crisis appeal’.
We will have a collection point to the right of the turnstile as you walk towards the clubhouse, and we would encourage as many supporters as possible to bring one or as many items as you can from the list above.
Sarah Adams, Logistics Manager at Chichester District Foodbank, St John’s Hall warehouse and distribution centre, shared some statistics on how many people they have helped.
“Pre-pandemic, Chichester District Foodbank fed 3,376 people per year, that increased to 4,986 in 2020, and increased again in 2021 to 6,181 for the year.
From January to May, we have fed about 1,750 people. We have seen an increase for this time of year and expect more people to need our services this summer and beyond, with the current cost of living crisis we expect to go a lot higher than last years total”.
With thousands of people being helped in a year Sarah says that is a huge amount of food.
“In terms of food, during 2020 and 2021 we gave out 102 tonnes each year. Pre-pandemic we gave out about 64 tonnes.
Since January of this year, we have given out 35 tonnes of food and only have about 5 tonnes left in stock. This is enough for about 2 – 2 1/2 weeks, if nothing else comes in”.
“It is a constant challenge to restock as more people come to us for help, having collection drives like on Chichester City match days, or putting a few items in the collection point at your local supermarket are vital to keeping us restocked so that we can help more people”.
The foodbank is open to anyone in need, please reach out to their staff at St John’s hall in St John’s Street, Chichester who will be able to give you guidance.
Sarah explains,
“Clients are not just the homeless and refugees, but also those who are employed on zero hours contracts, low income jobs, women escaping domestic violence, those who have recently lost their jobs”.
“When people come to us in crisis, we provide a food parcel for their family size, along with other essentials such as laundry powder, nappies, toiletries and even pet food. We also provide a very important listening ear and help to signpost to other help and services”.
“In addition, we provide Kids lunch Packs – KLPs for school children for the 3 main school holidays. One box provides enough for lunch (Monday – Friday) for 2 weeks during the Christmas and Easter holidays. In the summer we provide 2 boxes – each with 15 days worth of food. A meal is not large – 1/2 tin of meat, 1/2 baked beans and some pasta for example. We usually feed about 700-800 children each holiday, although in the summer this rises to about 900 – 1,000”.
Chichester District Foodbank has been in operation for 12 years. It was started by Joanne Kondabeka, who is their current CEO. Joanne teamed up with people from Chichester Family church and the cathedral.
From very small beginnings, they now have 4 centres across the district – Chichester, Midhurst, Petworth and Selsey, as well as their warehouse in Chichester. They have 3 part-time staff and approximately 150 volunteers.
The hall is to the right behind the chapel.
In Chichester and Selsey clients visit to collect their parcels. In the north part, Midhurst and Petworth, they deliver food parcels due to a lack of public transport,
To find a centre near you, please visit Foodbank Locations
For all other infomation please visit Chichester District Foodbank’s website
