‘This is the only contact many people have with the outside world’
WHEN they pack up the food packages for Wirral’s most vulnerable people, Wirral Council’s team try to add a little cheer.
‘For many, it is the only contact with the outside world they might have all week, so we want to raise a smile if we can,’ explains Tom Smith, the council’s food hub manager. ‘That might be an extra chocolate bar or a nice big pack of crisps, and we include that day’s Metro, to help people get the news they might be missing.’
As part of a unique collaboration, a copy of Metro goes out with each parcel, giving readers a welcome bit of contact with the outside world. ‘We’ve had great feedback that it helps life feel a bit more normal,’ says Tom. ‘We also put a note in each box, explaining that it was packed with care by people from their local community, and numbers where they can reach out for help if they need it. More than a box of tins and packets, it’s a security blanket.’
‘My normal role is as an event producer, organising things like the Wirral Food, Drink & Music Festival, so this is a bit of a change. But there are some similar skills required in terms of organising and planning,’ says Tom. ‘We’ve had to set up a warehouse from scratch, and there are very strict rules about hand washing and sanitising.
‘A lot of our box packers work in the library service and leisure centres. It has reminded me that they essentially came to work for the council because they like helping people, and that shines through.’
wirral.gov.uk/health-and-socialcare/coronavirus-updates/ emergency-food
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