w w w . t r u s s e l l t r u s t . o r g
Newslink Restoring dignity and reviving hope in Salisbury, the UK and Bulgaria
Summer/Autumn 2011
'my daughter gave me her paper-round money to buy bread and milk' one foodbank family's struggle to make ends meet The foodbank van discreetly pulls up around the corner from a tidy, suburban house in a Salisbury cul-de-sac. You’d never guess that inside Louise and her family are struggling to put food on the table.
Actor Bill Nighy visited Hammersmith & Fulham foodbank recently and was ‘extremely moved’ and ‘inspired’ after meeting clients and volunteers.
Louise is visibly relieved to receive her foodbox. She tells us her horror story of redundancy, illness and debt. After being made redundant, her husband quickly got a new job but it came with an £18K salary cut. Working two jobs to make ends meet, he was sleeping for two hours per night.
50 percent increase in numbers fed by foodbanks
Soon after, Louise became ill and could not work. The family got into debt and started selling possessions to try to free themselves of creditors. Times got so tough that Louise’s daughter recently gave her £17 paper-round money, saying: ‘Mummy, take this, you can buy some bread and milk.’ For Louise, the foodbank makes a huge difference, she says: ‘I was treated with such dignity. It meant that my children could go to school and be normal. It is so good.’
Over 100 UK foodbanks!
With thousands struggling to put food on the table due to rising food prices and static incomes, the need for foodbanks is greater than ever. In the last year foodbanks have fed 61,468 people across the UK - 50 percent more than the previous year! More churches and communities nationwide are partnering with us to open foodbanks to meet this growing need. Since the beginning of 2011 we’ve launched a new foodbank every week and now have over 100 across the UK! But thousands are going hungry in towns with no foodbanks...
We need your help to realise our vision of a nation where no-one goes hungry >> Could you start a foodbank in your town? Or help fund a Foodbank Regional Development Officer in the North East? Check out national media coverage of the growth of foodbanks at www.trusselltrust.org/media-coverage
2011 Newsletter3.indd 1
7/18/2011 2:20:43 PM
Bulgaria
We’re looking forward to welcoming new house residents to join Ferdane and Vasko soon
Ferdane and Vasko first residents at new house in Ruse!
gabrovo authorities ask us to run their youth programme...
In June we opened our new House of Opportunity in Ruse, Bulgaria. Houseparents Maria and Mariana welcomed Ferdane and Vasko to our newest two year residential training programme for orphanage leavers and both are settling in well. Ferdane and Vasko have already got jobs too!
Local authorities in Gabrovo were so impressed by our House of Opportunity that they have contracted us to run a halfway house for 15-18 year old abandoned children for them!
te a u d a r g y it n u t r o p house of op on! h t a r a m t s e r o f w e to run n Dani, a keen athlete and former House of Opportunity resident, will be running the New Forest marathon in September to help more young orphanage leavers like him to build better futures. Dani joined a House of Opportunity from an orphanage in Vratsa two years ago. Having successfully graduated from the programme in June, he is now living independently, has a job and is working towards his long term dream of opening his own athletics club. Dani wants to use his talent to help others, he told us: ‘I want to run to help Houses of
Opportunity to help more people like me!’
It was no surprise that Dani jumped at the chance to run the New Forest marathon with our Executive Chairman Chris Mould, saying: ‘I am very excited about travelling to England! The House of Opportunity helped me to become a better person altogether. I now know what it means to have a job. I believe more in myself. I want to help others.’ Please sponsor Dani’s marathon for Bulgaria’s orphanage leavers at www.trusselltrust.org/dani-marathon
Dani lived in an abusive home until he was abandoned to an orphanage aged four. Now he wants to help others
your Events Gallery
Bournemo uth Trussell Tru band ‘BOSH’ toured fo st and all p r The roceeds fro new album m their ‘Fruit Tree’ go to the T rust!
’ m office is fundraising Blackberry’s Birmingha ’ one of their ‘Can Build for foodbanks! This is ted to foodbanks events - all food dona
Great idea... 10K runner Jo asked her company to match fund her sponsorship and raised an extra 500!
Sarum Stompers held a Wild West party in aid of the Trust...
Thank you for raising funds for the Trust! Trussell Trust supporters and staff ran the British London 10K recently to raise funds
2011 Newsletter3.indd 2
From dog walking to cycling the Italian Alps, you’ve done some amazing things to raise funds recently! Please keep it up... For more ideas visit www.trusselltrust.org/fundraising. Thanks!
7/18/2011 2:20:46 PM
EVENTS Foodbank 5K - Sunday 18th September 2011, Salisbury, open to all abilities
90K Nordic Walk - 29th September to 2nd
October 2011, Stourhead to Hengistbury Head, Dorset visit www.trusselltrust.org/events for our latest events news
DISCOVER ADVENTURE CHALLENGES From trekking the Great Wall of China to walking from Cheddar to Glastonbury, could you join a Discover Adventure challenge and raise funds for The Trussell Trust?
Yes! I’d like to help Thank you for helping The Trussell Trust to transform lives. Please complete this form and send it back to us at the address underneath. If you are a UK taxpayer please fill out the gift aid form at the bottom. You can also give online at www.trusselltrust.org. Thank you! I enclose a gift of £_____________ Please make cheques payable to The Trussell Trust standing order form To: (name and address of your bank)
Here are a few to whet your appetite: Sort code:
>> Jurassic Coast Trek weekend (UK) >> Trekathon Series (UK 26-mile one day walks) >> London to Paris cycle >> Great Wall of China trek >> Peru Trek www.discoveradventure.com OR why not download our fundraising pack at www.trusselltrust.org and start your own event? Contact Mark Elling 01722 411244 or mark.elling@trusselltrust.org for any events queries...
Account No:
Please pay a regular gift of
£2
£5
£25
£100 or other
£
To The Trussell Trust each month, please also state amount in words:
Please start on ___/ ____/ ____ and from then on each month until further notice This cancels any previous standing order instructions to The Trussell Trust. Signature:
Date:
____/ ____/ ______
your details: Title: (Mr/Mrs/Dr etc)
Full name:
Address: Postcode:
BRING JOY TO BULGARIA'S POOREST THIS CHRISTMAS... JOIN OUR 2011 SHOEBOX APPEAL Every year we take thousands of shoeboxes filled with gifts to Bulgaria’s poorest men, women and children. Could you help transform Christmases this year by packing a shoebox with small gifts ranging from toothbrushes to teddies? This year’s Christmas Box deadline is 25th November... Visit www.trusselltrust. org/christmasboxes or call 01722 427113
Email:
Phone:
Tick if you would prefer NOT to receive e-news
make your gift go further! Tick here to add an extra 25p to every £1 you give at no extra cost to you Yes, I pay tax in the UK. Please treat all donations make or have made to The Trussell Trust for the past four years as gift aid donations until further notice. You must pay income tax/capital gains tax at least equal to the amount of tax reclaimed on your donations.
Please send me more information about: Sign up for Newswire, our fortnightly e-news: Name: Email: Please send your completed form to: The Trussell Trust, St. Michael’s Community Centre, St. Michael’s Rd, Salisbury SP2 9LE
www.trusselltrust.org 2011 Newsletter3.indd 3
! u o y k n a Th 7/18/2011 2:20:51 PM
UK
former wasteland generates bumper crop Our volunteer-led therapeutic garden is now one year old and producing a range of fruit and vegetables for the local community! The garden is a great place for our volunteers with mental, social or physical difficulties to come and spend time. It works well with the foodbank as it promotes healthy eating and makes fresh produce available to people on low incomes. Our long term hope is that the garden will be a place where we can teach people how to grow their own food too.
Former derelict land at St. Michael’s Community Centre now produces fruit and veg for sale in our Salisbury shop
Thank you Dorset Cereals
For regularly donating excess stock to the foodbanks in the south! Salisbury foodbank fed an extra 600 people last year. At this time of high demand Dorset Cereals gift is much appreciated!
We’re collecting foreign currency
Old or new, we’re collecting your foreign currency. So if you’ve got old Deutschmarks, Lira or Francs or a handful or rupees that you’ll never use, we’d love to have them.
Our volunteers go home happier
We’ve just introduced a new volunteer satisfaction sheet to gauge how volunteering helps improve mood. Many of our volunteers of all backgrounds report that they go home happier after a day with us!
boscombe shop gives hearing impaired volunteer new lease of life ‘I’ve always been given menial tasks with no responsibility wherever I’ve volunteered’, says Boscombe shop volunteer John who has a hearing impediment. ‘At The Trussell Trust it’s different, staff are understanding about my disability and I love that they can see past it. I really love coming to work.’
We need your old shoes, bags and clothes
Shops Co-ordinator Chrissy McAuley says: ‘We believe that everyone can make a difference, sometimes you just have to find a way to empower them do it. John now works on the till and has a badge asking people to speak directly to him so that he can lip-read. He is great with customers and is an asset to our team. Our ‘restore’ community shops are all about changing local lives in whatever way we can.’ www.trusselltrust.org/restore-shops
John operates the till at our newest community charity shop in Bournemouth
Our new recycling scheme means that we can generate income from items that aren’t suitable for sale in our shops. Please bring us your clothing, shoes and bags regardless of condition so that we can sell or recycle them. Thank you!
Our shops can claim ‘gift aid’ on your donated items
In February we started claiming gift aid on your shop donations and have since raised a staggering £6,000. Thank you to all who’ve signed up!
STOCKS DWINDLE AT FOODBANKS... Foodbanks across the UK are seeing stocks reduce as demand increases. In many foodbanks food is going out faster than it’s coming in.
Could you, your school, business or church hold a harvest collection and donate non-perishable food to your nearest foodbank to help stop local people going hungry? Thank you!
* Some client names have been changed to protect identity 2011 Newsletter3.indd 4
The Trussell Trust St Michael’s Community Centre, St. Michael’s Rd, Salisbury SP2 9LE 01722 411244 enquiries@trusselltrust.org www.trusselltrust.org Reg. Charity No. 1110522 - Reg. Ltd. Co. No. 5434524 Reg. in England & Wales
7/18/2011 2:20:53 PM