All we want is to help families get the basics
FOOD BANK VOLUNTEERS STILL WORKING TIRELESSLY
LEAKING roofs, uncarpeted homes, mouldy kitchens and no money for food. This is the hard-hitting reality for some people living in poverty in Huddersfield.
The volunteers of Full Life Church work tirelessly in the community to deliver foodbank donations across Holmfirth in a bid to help those struggling in poverty. These unsung heroes help people of all ages, including families, elderly and vulnerable people who may be struggling to eat.
Many of us may not realise just how many people are forced to rely on foodbanks every single week to be able to get those basic - and much needed - items such as bread and vegetables. But, for a lot of people this is the heart-breaking reality.
Full Life foodbank was founded in 2006 by church pastor Ian Gooch. It started off by Ian helping out one family who had been suffering with financial difficulties. He would put them together a little food parcel every week to help with food.
Then, through word of mouth he ended up supporting around 30 families on a weekly basis. When Covid-19 hit in 2020, their demand hugely increased. Ian’s church ended up supporting around 300 families in the difficult time, which he says they were “not prepared” for.
Ian said: “A lot of little food banks had closed down so we were the main one open. It shot up in Covid. There was such a demand for food banks so we had to get volunteers to help out. We help around 190 families regularly across Holmfirth now.”
Families in need are often referred to Full Life Church from schools, doctors and social services, and it’s usually people who are in difficulties. Ian said: “We deal with people of all ages, young and old, it doesn’t matter. When our volunteers go out they do welfare checks and will tell me if they are concerned about someone. They make connections with some people and get to know them.
“Sometimes our clients don’t have many relations around, so our volunteers might be all they see, and if they do have concerns they will tell me about it and I will always do my best to try and help them.
“We give vouchers and funding out to some people when we have more money. We always try our best to help and if someone needs something we will do our best to source it - like a bed or fridge.
“We cover the whole of the Holme Valley and often get referrals from schools. We make our food banks as accessible as possible; we know most people don’t like to admit that they are struggling, it is embarrassing for them to ask for help and it puts people off coming, so we want to make it as easy as we can for people to get the support they need.”
Pastor Ian and his team of volunteers help all kinds of families, elderly residents and even single people who are on their own. He continued: “We have large families who have seven or eight children in the house.
“One man was almost blind living on his own in a flat - and this is how our volunteers take on another role - they took his bag in and found him thawing out sausages on the radiator. The whole place was a mess, he had no cooking facilities or anything. We got him a microwave and gave him microwave-ready meals so that he could eat.
“We help families who have lost everything during Covid. One family we have helped lost everything through redundancies in Covid they lost their cars and jobs and needed our support. If they tell us they need something, we will go out and look for it.
“We deliver to families who have no flooring down, no wallpaper on their walls, they can’t afford to put their heating on and are keeping warm in bed all day. They have ceilings falling down, mould in the kitchen, tiles falling off the walls, water dripping into a bucket. Some homes don’t even have a carpet on the floor.”
The foodbank relies on its volunteers and donations from the public to keep going and is always appealing for extra support, as the amount of people living in poverty and difficulties across Huddersfield continues to surge daily.
Ian continued: “We could not keep it going without volunteers and without donations from the public. They are constantly bringing us food donations and we have collection points in the supermarkets across Holmfirth. Everyone here is a volunteer and honestly there is no break, they work so hard.”
The festive period is also one of the busiest for Ian and his church as they run Operation Christmas, where they will gather hundreds of donations from the public so that every single person who they help opens a Christmas present on Christmas Day. They also do the same with Easter Eggs at Easter.
He said: “Operation Christmas has already started. We start in January to make sure we have enough toys and presents for everyone by the next Christmas.
“I got it from my mum, there was nine of us at home so she would start shopping for Christmas presents early.”
The church also puts on family fun days to bring families together and has since renovated a huge warehouse to the back of the building into a brand new soft play centre where families can bring their children - and babies in the baby centre - for free. There is also a cafe for people to enjoy a warm drink and snack while their kids play.
Ian added: “We are not the biggest church in the world but we have the biggest heart.”
But, running a completely charitable funded centre does not come without its challenges. The church is struggling to pay the bills and rent to keep the place open. Ian explained how they had forked out on a £4,000 gas bill this year which he says “we have never really recovered from.” He added: “I spent £100 last night on tins of things and it has all gone today in the deliveries.
“We all use our own cars for the pick ups and pay for our own fuel. We need a van really.”
This is the reality of running a foodbank and why public donations are so important to keep it running.
We know most people don’t like to admit that they are struggling, it is embarrassing for them
Ian Gooch