Charity number: 1195120 

Firstly on behalf of the Trustees I wanted to express our thanks for your continuing loyal financial support for our Foodbank.  Without this regular income we would not be able to continue to operate.  

The primary delivery model of tinned or dried food for 3 meals a day for 3 days a week, plus milk, fresh bread, eggs and vegetables is still offered from St Mary’s Church, Bridport every Wednesday from 10 am until 1pm. An extension of this service has been on offer from January 2023 based at the Bridport Youth and Community Centre on Mondays from 5-7pm. In addition for those who are housebound or who cannot attend at these times we continue to provide a home delivery service or other pick-up options. 

2023, unsurprisingly, saw a significant increase in our number of users with the regular number of ‘parcels’ now given out on a weekly basis, but even we were shocked when this increased our output of ‘parcels’  by an average of 40%.  We also noted that longer term users, who normally stretch their six session referral quota over several months, were needing to come in much more regularly.  The cost of this can be seen in our increased spend on food and general household/hygiene goods and this now runs at a steady £2,500.00 per month. Keeping the cupboards stocked is still supplemented by donations of food from the general public in our supermarket collecting boxes, but the level of this has sadly gone down.  So many people are also feeling the financial ‘pinch’.   

We have also increased our volunteer numbers to manage the rise in activity, ensuring that their valuable service is supported by good health and safety procedures and supporting policies.  Volunteers have coped well with the demands on themselves that this involves. The ethos of the charity to deal fairly and equably, with all who need the service is a strong driver for all who are involved.   

Our co-ordinator, Carrie Gamble, retired at the end of October 2023, with our grateful thanks for her leadership. The role is being re-assessed and at the moment Sonia Maynard is our acting co-ordinator. 

In 2023,following a generous personal donation, a Hardship Fund was set up to offer a wider range of support to households in financial hardship and to offer additional support to the homeless.   Access to this Fund is jointly managed by the Foodbank and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. 

We continue to work closely with other related organisations in the town, including, The Citizens Advice Bureau, The Beacon Centre, Mental Health agencies and the wider NHS, Housing and Homeless support agencies and Child and Family support services. 

We could not have done any of this without your support  

– thank you so much -