The amazing Sheffield charity sending emergency food parcels to a record 700 people a week
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St Mary’s Church and Community Centre, on Bramall Lane, last week provided 363 food boxes to 700 people. But staff say demand is rising as Sheffield begins to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Centre director, Graham Duncan, said as well as older people, requests for support had come from schools, people with severe anxiety and those with complex needs who either can’t afford supplies or feel unable to go to the shops.
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Hide AdHe added: “Providing food to some of the most vulnerable people in Sheffield during this difficult time has been crucial work and we want to thank everyone who has supported us including our volunteers, partner organisations, donors and the supermarkets who have given us surplus food at the end of each day.
“We have found the need for emergency support has increased rapidly since the beginning of the pandemic.”
The charity has transformed its operation in the last two months to provide fresh food and meals. Staff and volunteers collect surplus food from supermarkets, and FareShare Yorkshire, and use it to make up food boxes.
St Mary’s has been working with Age UK Sheffield, food banks and schools to deliver them. Chefs at St Mary’s also make nutritious meals that are delivered frozen to people unable to cook from scratch.
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Hide AdSupermarkets donating food include Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Aldi.
St Mary’s works to address isolation, mental health issues and long term unemployment via the innovative volunteering scheme Timebuilders.As part of its fundraising efforts, St Mary’s is selling flour at cost price via its Bread for Sheffield website. Faced with a shortage due to lockdown baking Joanne Chapman decided to buy flour from Heeley-based wholesalers, Hukin’s, and started selling it at cost price and asked people to donate to a food bank.
After packing and selling 700kg in week three, she was grateful when St Mary’s stepped in and took over.
St Mary’s also has a JustGiving page here and a donation-by-text service. Text STMBLCOVID (plus the amount you are giving) to 70460.