Abuse towards helpers means food bank has to suspend its service
IT IS HOPED IT CAN RESTART SOON WITH NEW SAFETY MEASURES
A FOOD bank in Derby suspended its services after abusive behaviour from visitors.
Doorways Derby has run an outdoor produce table in Osmaston Park Road since March last year, providing food to vulnerable people while Covid restrictions are in place.
But volunteers were forced to temporarily cancel the service after a number of people were aggressive towards them.
Several visitors also refused to wear face coverings, keep their distance or approach the produce table on their own, as requested by Doorways.
Craig Wheatley, co-founder of the charity, said it was frustrating that they were forced to postpone support because of people’s poor behaviour.
He said: “It was a difficult situation
to deal with. We have been running this outdoor service since early last year and there have been incidents in the past, but this went too far.
“One lady had a grievance and was asked to move on from the table. When she was confronted she became verbally aggressive to my wife, Lisa, and the other volunteers.
“Another gentleman started angrily shouting when he was told that his wife was not allowed to the table with him because of the restrictions we had in place.
“It just became too much to handle so we decided to postpone the service until we could figure out how to better manage things.”
The produce table has been cancelled since the incidents took place on Tuesday, January 5, but Craig is hoping for a successful restart to the service this weekend.
However, he warned that unless people respected both the coronavirus rules and Doorways volunteers, they may be forced to stop the programme again.
“We’re going to set up the stand again and take it from there, but we need everyone to adhere to the guidelines,” he said.
“It is vital that we keep people protected, which is why measures are in place.
“Hopefully we can move on from here because we’re still getting donations and we want to be helping people. We definitely don’t want food to be going to waste.”