We've been accepted for the next round of Aviva Community Fund donations and it's a chance to double any financial donations of up to £250 between now and 31st December.
Donate here
We believe that access to food is a fundamental right, essential for individuals and families to thrive. Unfortunately, this basic necessity has become a luxury that many in our community struggle to afford. As winter approaches and temperatures drop, people face increasingly difficult choices between heating their homes and putting food on the table. With rising costs of rents, mortgages, and bills these challenges, for some, have never been harder. Our mission is to be a beacon of hope for those in need.
We continue to see exceptionally high referrals into our food bank and in the last 12 months we provided 368,385 meals to people in crisis.
We're more than just a food bank
Over the last five years, we've noticed that demand is rising quicker than ever before and people are struggling to get themselves out of the financial situation they are in. With the cost of living crisis adding to this, budgets can no longer meet the increased costs and families and individuals are having to choose whether to heat, eat or pay the bills.
While many frontline services have had to reduce their operations due to capacity or funding constraints, we have maintained our commitment to serve everyone in need in our community. Our AGS team provides support on various topics, including money management, budgeting, and referrals for debt assistance, mental health support, and connections to local domestic abuse services. We also work to bridge the digital divide by providing SIM cards, mobile phones, and laptop loans to those who need them. Additionally, our collaboration with employment support services has helped numerous clients secure stable employment. We have been fortunate to work with lots of wonderful local sports clubs who have provided the children we support with places on sports camps and access to play gyms.
Many of the clients referred to us are suffering fuel poverty. Sadly we had to consider ways we can support clients who are unable to afford to turn on their energy supply. Over the last 3 years we have also expanded our provision to offer energy vouchers to clients we know are in need, so that we can ensure they are able to heat the food we provide.
How will we use these funds?
We're raising funds for several important things for our AGS & Food Bank Service.
1. Items for direct distribution for families and individuals
2. Operational costs including costs relating to pack prep, distribution and wider running of our service
2. We'll purchase essential food items for our crisis packs, reducing hunger and allowing clients the chance to take stock of their situation.
3. We'll invest in training for our team. This includes specialised training to navigate the welfare system on behalf of our clients and broader training to support clients emotionally and practically. Many of our clients come to us with mental health challenges, they may be struggling with substance misuse or fleeing domestic violence, and our team is there to listen and help. So it's essential that our team members have the knowledge and skills to protect their clients as well as themselves.
David's story
David is a working family man with 2 young children and has previously supported The Welcome Centre with small donations. Due to the cost of living crisis, he now finds himself in need of food packs to help support his family even though both he and his wife work. He came to collect his food pack with a huge rucksack as he felt too embarrassed to accept a delivery as he doesn't want his neighbours to know that he needs support with food. His family can help sporadically but David is sad that, in this day and age, he should be able to support his family as a working man without the support of a food bank.
Patrick's story
Patrick had mobility issues and had racked up lots of debts over the years, which meant once he had made his monthly repayments he couldn’t afford food.
Huddersfield Mission referred Patrick to The Welcome Centre as he needed a food pack. When he arrived to collect his food, our Advice Guidance and Support team suggested he come along to our “Managing your Money” drop-in.
Each month I have so much deducted from my monthly benefits because of old debts that I can’t keep my head above water. I had arrears on an old tenancy as well as council tax arrears, so I have to repay this each month.
Some time ago, Patrick had received an overpayment of benefit, which was not his fault, but meant he was also paying that back each month.
After his initial chat with our AGS team at the ‘drop-in,’ Patrick agreed he needed to look at all of his finances and that he needed a plan of action.
The AGS team helped Patrick to complete a financial statement and benefits check. He received all that he was entitled to, but the debt he had was so big that he would never be able to manage his money and afford food.
The AGS team discussed all his options and Patrick decided that a Debt Relief Order (DRO) was his best option. He was eligible as he had no assets, no surplus monies at the end of each month and had had no changes to his circumstances within 12 months.
Getting a DRO meant I could start afresh, free from debt.
Patrick completed the financial statement and The Welcome Centre sent This and a summary of his circumstances to Kirklees Citizens Advice debt team so that they could proceed with the insolvency.
The Welcome Centre applied to Acts435 for a grant to cover the £90 fee. Once submitted and approved, Patrick’s debts of £8,589 and his outstanding Universal Credit debts were paid off.
I can manage my money and budget again. I am so grateful for a fresh start.
