Community-minded care home residents and staff have been doing their bit to help local food banks address ongoing demand from families facing financial hardship and food poverty.
Acting on long-standing partnerships with food banks, several Colten Care homes have taken part in activities including volunteering, fundraising and handing over donations of food they have collected.
Team members at three Dorset homes, Avon Reach in Mudeford, Avon Cliff in Bournemouth and Abbey View in Sherborne, enabled residents to offer direct support.
Spending a day at Christchurch Food Bank, Avon Reach resident Anne Wood and Companionship Team Leader Denise Marks helped organise donations and prepare food parcels ready to be distributed to those in need.
Anne said: “We learned more about the continuing need for food support and how vital community contributions are in ensuring no one goes hungry. I found it rewarding to be part of helping such an important cause. It felt uplifting to give something back.”
The visit was the latest in a series of initiatives by the Mudeford care home in aid of the food bank.
Residents and staff have also made donations from regular collections of essential items and packed lunches.
Avon Cliff, meanwhile, organised a dedicated month of collections for the food bank at Bournemouth’s Citygate Church, culminating in the delivery of a large hamper of dry pasta, biscuits and tins of food.
Welcoming the delivery at the food bank’s community hub, Casework Team Manager Berni Pickering said: “Avon Cliff’s donations are greatly appreciated by the community.”
Just as Avon Cliff did, Colten Care’s Sherborne home Abbey View and Lymington home Belmore Lodge organised minibus trips for residents to visit their local food banks with donations.
And at Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, residents were invited to take part in a ‘tin can challenge’. It involved stacking donated tins of food as high as possible.
Companionship Team Leader Jane Bunker said: “We had donations ranging from baked beans to fruit salad over a period of weeks and we felt the challenge would be a great way to highlight the work of the Lyndhurst Food Bank before we handed the items over.
“Our residents are always keen to spotlight the essential work the food bank provides to individuals and families in need.”
