Dear Friends and Supporters of the West Somerset Food Cupboard,
As the summer holidays roll on, we wanted to share some of the wonderful things that have been happening at WSFC over the past few weeks. From new partnerships and community events to a few well-deserved thank-yous, it’s been a busy season. And as ever, we’re so grateful for the support of our local community.
Porlock Country Fair – Sunday 2nd August
A big thank you to everyone who donated prizes for the fair, including Butlins, Shearwell Data, Snazaroo, Amicus Law Networking Group, Miles Tea, Morrisons, Tesco’s and everyone in the community who dropped a prize in. Your generosity enabled us to offer lots of interaction with the community with “guess the number of beans in the wheel barrow” and our tombola. An amazing total of over £370 was raised thanks. For those that wanted to know the wheelbarrow contained 118 tins of beans and the prize of a family pass was won by a lovely family that supported us throughout the day with many attempts to win prizes. Thank you to everyone that made this event such a success for us.
Healthy breakfast packs for local schools
As we look ahead to the new school term, we’re hoping to put together healthy breakfast packs for local schools, to support children who arrive with hungry tummies. We’re collecting items such as:
- Breakfast bars
- Porridge pots
- Individual cartons of juice
- Other healthy, easy-to-eat snacks that need little or no preparation
These simple items can make a real difference – helping children settle into their school day with the energy and focus they need until lunchtime. If you feel able to contribute to this initiative, we would be incredibly grateful for your support.
This Month’s Shortages
Any non-perishable food items are always gratefully received:
- Instant Coffee or Hot Chocolate
- Jam and Marmalade
- Tinned Potatoes or Packets of Mash
- Tinned fish- tuna, sardines, mackerel
- Crackers/Savoury Snacks/Crisps
- Small jars of Fish Paste & Meat Spread
- Individual puddings- custard, rice pudding, jelly
- Sugar
- Tinned Fruit
We cannot accept open or out of date items. Please do not leave these items in our collection boxes. We welcome back any of our bags, please leave in the donation bin.
Save the Date: Quiz Night – 25th September
Get your thinking caps ready! We’re hosting a Charity Quiz Night on Thursday 25th September at Minehead Social Club. Full details will be announced soon but grab your friends and start forming your teams now. We’d also love your help with raffle prizes for the night, if you or your business can donate something for the raffle, however big or small, please get in touch. Every prize helps us raise a bit more for local families who need our support. If you would like tickets please email on [email protected] or call on 07398613720
Some donations keep on giving
Computers4Good kindly gifted us a laptop as part of their mission to get technology into the hands of people who need it most. We recently asked if we could re-donate it to our local YMCA and they said yes without a moment’s hesitation.
Residents at the YMCA had been relying on staff laptops to complete online benefit applications. Now, thanks to Computers4Good, there’s a dedicated device on-site, used solely for that purpose and fully looked after by the YMCA team.For residents like Chris and Glen, it means one less obstacle at a time when every bit of support counts. A huge thank you to Computers 4 Good for their generosity, and for trusting us to pass the impact on.
Building good connections with Citizens Advice Somerset
Over the years, West Somerset Advice Bureau played an important role in helping local residents access essential support. We recently met with Citizens Advice Bureau Somerset; it was a really positive conversation and they have really stepped up to fill the void. We now have good lines of communication in place, and they’re able to refer people on to us if they feel they need food support. Citizens Advice Somerset run a drop-in session every Monday, 10am–2pm, at the Minehead Eye. It’s a short introductory session where people can then book in for a more detailed appointment another time. If you need support, call in to the Minehead Eye on a Monday or contact them on 0808 278 7842 or via www.citizensadvicesomerset.org.uk. They are there to help.
If you know of any one that needs support with food please contact us or call 07795 080637.
Thank you, James!
A huge thank you to our brilliant website guru, James of JPC Design at https://jpc-design.com who so generously designs and maintains our website for us. It’s thanks to his hard work behind the scenes that we’re able to keep our community updated and connect people with the support they need. We really couldn’t do it without you, James!
Ways you can support us
Food donations make a huge difference, but financial donations help us too. Monetary gifts allow us to react to our demand, purchase essential items or special dietary requirements – helping us provide balanced meals to more families in our community. Whether you donate food, funds, or both, your support helps ensure no one goes hungry.
Sign up to EasyFundraising: We already have 35 amazing supporters and have raised over £618 this way– every penny helps so please sign up. Over 4,000 retailers will make a donation when you shop through @easyfundraising, at no extra cost to you. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/west-somerset-food-cupboard/
We’re proud to be part of the @coopuk Local Community Fund. To support us please go to: membership.coop.co.uk/causes/97711 We will receive a percentage of their profits one of their chosen charities.
