Many of the residents that the pantry supports are part of ethnic minorities and to many, English is their second language. Thus, although food is the main reason people visit the pantry, support such as translation services or referrals to relevant specialists are also offered to them. Recent support projects that took place at the pantry included English lessons, IT lessons as well as a planting/gardening workshop which allowed people to gain useful employability skills. Moreover, counselling for those grieving the loss of a loved one also took place at the pantry this year, offering much needed mental health support to people who wouldn’t normally have access to it. By providing these services alongside the pantry, food provided by FareShare Cymru has been able to bring the local community closer together.  

Gillian is just one member who uses Wyndham Street Pantry to help support her family financially. Whilst Gillian’s husband works 16 hours a week, Gillian’s disabilities prevent her from working herself. She says that the food they receive weekly from the pantry “goes a long way” as she is able to not only feed herself and her husband with good quality food but also occasionally have some extra she can give to her daughter and her family.

The pantry has been a life saviour. It’s given us a boost, some of the stuff I would never buy because I wouldn’t be able to pay what the supermarkets charge. It has taken away the stress of ‘can we afford veg this week?’

Last week we were given fresh veg and I made a stew and it lasted us two days! The freezer stuff, the potatoes and the fish, you can’t buy that at the supermarket, it’s so expensive. Also, the tins we receive, you can do so much with them and store the extra.

Gillian, Wyndham Street Pantry member

Talking about the pantry Gillian described how, along with coming to collect the food, the pantry provides an opportunity to socialise and has significantly benefited hers and her husband’s mental health.

It’s more than food. It’s feeding the mind. It’s like a social thing to come here. We have such diverse conversations. It can lift you for the week!

Gillian

With the rising prices in supermarkets, Gillian isn’t the only one who’s struggling to afford basic necessities.

There are some people that take a choice between feeding their family or heating the house at the moment.

Without FareShare Cymru we just couldn’t do run the pantry. They provide the food and have all the logistical support. Without FareShare Cymru, 60 families in the area would struggle to afford food and some would either have bad quality food or not enough.

Grant Cockerill, Renew Officer at South Riverside Community Development.

FareShare Cymru is proud to support services like Wyndham street pantry to operate, as the support offered, and the impact made is clearly “More than food”.

The post A member of the Wyndham Street Pantry talks about the impact FareShare Cymru has had in her life appeared first on FareShare Cymru.

One woman had to switch to universal credit and had six weeks with nothing during the switchover. She got into bad debt over it. She’s always been a really proud person, would never go to a food bank. But because she had that connection with us, every now and then she would send us a message ‘Have you got that and that? I haven’t got any food.’ It took her a while to get used to getting a big box of food on her doorstep as a response to that. She wouldn’t have known what to do without us. She would have gone hungry so that her kids had something to eat.

Emma Knight, Trustee 

The charity was originally set up to support one street and has grown to help hundreds of people. They started their membership with FareShare Cymru in May 2020 when people were in need due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  

There’s a woman in the food club who’s been a member for quite a while. She lost her husband and she defined us as her lifeline who got her through Covid. We were dropping a loaf of bread through her door once a week and it gave her somebody to see and a friendly face. She doesn’t think she would have got through with that one little thing.  

Emma Knight, Trustee 

The surplus food provided by FareShare Cymru has introduced a variety of different foods to FAN Community Alliance’s clients and now they are more willing to try new meals. This has a positive impact on people’s physical and mental health as people are building friendships while receiving a range of nutrients they need to keep healthy.  

The surplus food also allows the charity to save money and reinvest that into other projects. For example, they’ve recently resurfaced their car park to improve mobility access. 

The charity’s involvement with FareShare Cymru has also resulted in more awareness of the environmental impacts of surplus food. Now, just as many clients use FAN Community Alliance to help the environment as those who require food support.  

It’s sinking in now, even though it’s surplus, it’s not necessary just for the people who need it. It’s about making sure it’s not going to waste too. People were like ‘Oh no, it’s ok, there are people who are more needy than me.’ There’s quite a nice balance now between the people who need it and making sure there’s no waste’  

FAN Community Alliance is aiming to open a Climate Café soon and utilise even more surplus food. This means they will provide more meals to people and bring the community together.  

Having those connections locally so when you need support you have got it. We snap into action quickly when people need support”

Emma Knight, Trustee 

The post FAN Community Alliance appeared first on FareShare Cymru.

FareShare Cymru would like to say a huge thank you to TC Consult who have recently given the charity a generous donation.

Employees of the Cardiff based company decided to donate their unused annual leave to charity due to being unable to take time off during the pandemic.

“We’re delighted to be able to donate to FareShare Cymru. I’ve been following the charity for a few years and I think the work you do is really important. Keep up the great work!”

David Champs, Director and Co-owner of TC Consult

This donation will help FareShare Cymru rescue surplus food from landfill and redistribute it to community food projects. Every £1 donated provides 4 meals to people in need. In 2020/21 we rescued 735 tonnes of surplus food and provided almost 3 million meals to vulnerable people.

To find out more about how your donation could help fight food waste and poverty visit www.fareshare.cymru/make-a-donation.

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Oasis Cardiff is a charity whose main aim and vision is to help refugees and asylum seekers integrate within their local community. They provide support for roughly 100-150 visitors each day from around the globe, including people from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, El Salvador, and Ivory Coast. During the week, they host various activities, while they also provide free lunch on weekdays.

FareShare has provided Oasis with good quality, surplus food for four years. Oasis uses this food to make their clients meals that respect their individual cultures and traditions. This allows them to settle down better and feel at home in Wales.

The surplus food provided by FareShare Cymru includes ingredients mostly used in Western cuisine. Oasis show their clients how to use those ingredients, often unfamiliar to them, and combine them with spices and flavours familiar to their own culture to make nutritious and tasty meals.

Food is really powerful. People share their story when they are cooking or eating. Where language is a barrier, they share the food along with a part of their own culture and story

Songyeon Choi, Oasis Kitchen Manager

Although their budget is limited as a small charity, the collaboration with FareShare allows Oasis’ clients to enjoy “special treats” such as Easter eggs and Christmas pudding, which they greatly appreciate.

In the beginning of the pandemic, when all shops closed down, FareShare kept going and for that we are really grateful

Songyeon Choi, Oasis Kitchen Manager

The food provided by FareShare has helped make a positive impact on people’s physical and mental health. Oasis show their clients how they can still make proper and healthy meals with a limited budget. An example is tinned food which, although cheap, can be used in various ways to create healthy meals.

The collaboration with FareShare has allowed Oasis to save money and invest in hiring more people in their kitchen to cook the nutritious meals they provide to their visitors. This means they’re supporting even more people and helping them integrate into the local community.

The post How Oasis Cardiff uses food to make refugees and asylum seekers feel at home appeared first on FareShare Cymru.