Please join us at Wem Town Hall at 10am on Thursday 1st February to get the Wem Food Hub up and running….Please read on for the details of what needs to be done - we’re a whisker away from being set up - we just need a little bit of volunteer power to bring good quality, free food to Wem.
Where we are: Just before Christmas we ran a trial picking up food from Sainsbury and Tesco in Whitchurch. Volunteers collected a carload of food - produce and bread - which was stored overnight and delivered to Wem Town Hall Café on Monday morning, providing lots of good quality free food which was used by the café and distributed to the Dementia Group.
The plan: the plan so far is to set up a regular collection on a Sunday which would go to the Café and some other groups - especially those who can use bread/bakery products. Perhaps the youth group and St Peter’s School? Food needs to be collected in Whitchurch between 3.30 and 4pm on Sunday and then stored overnight before being delivered to groups on Monday morning.
What needs to happen: We need a few volunteers in Wem to make this happen on a regular basis. Shrewsbury Food Hub can help with training, insurance, organising contracts with the stores etc. but it needs to be run by and for the community in Wem
Ø 1 or 2 volunteers need to organise a rota, to accept “alerts” from the stores and make sure the groups getting food they can use
Ø 4 + driving teams, so you can share collection, sorting and deliveries - it’s good to go as a pair for company and to help lift the food
Ø Everyone involved in driving and sorting food will need some food safety training - I can help with that - and to sign an agreement which sets out the “ground rules”
Ø Find a place to store food overnight - it needs to be stored in a secure, clean, pest free place - ideally somewhere where the food can be sorted and shared between groups ready for Monday morning
Ø Organise groups to share the food - Wem Town Hall would like to continue, and we’re talking to the Youth Group and St Peters. The receiving groups all need to sign an agreement and provide evidence of their food hygiene training.
We are still in talks with the Co-op and will let you know if and when they are ready to donate food.
Please have a look at our website and Facebook for more about the difference a Hub can make. And I attach a summary of how to start a food hub.
All the best
Katy
Katy Anderson
07876 703583
http://www.shrewsburyfoodhub.org.uk/
Registered charity 1171092