Calne Foodbank – a brief history

Calne Foodbank was formed in the early 2000`s by the Calne Partnership of Churches.

A small group of volunteers worked hard over the years doing a great job, providing emergency food parcels to local people in need. The Foodbank store was based in an upstairs room at the Calne Methodist Church and parcels were issued through agencies such as the Family Centre and some food parcels were issued out of Church House in Church Street.

Over the years many people have benefitted from receiving parcels through Calne Foodbank. For most people using the Foodbank is a last option; there is a stigma that having to use the Foodbank is a sign of failure. This is not true. It is only through circumstance, often out of our hands, that people find themselves in a desperate situation. Reasons may include sickness ( physical or mental), redundancy, relationship breakup, homelessness or just lack of benefits.

People should not hesitate to ask for help – that`s why the Foodbank exists.

When the Covid -19 pandemic hit early in 2020, demand escalated, and it became apparent that model of working needed to be revised to cope. A project group was set up,
including some existing volunteers and work began to set up Calne Foodbank as an independent charity and put in place all policies and procedures to ensure the safety of both volunteers and users.

We are now a registered charity (Charity No. 1190616) – which allows us to apply for grants to support the work of the Foodbank and gives the Charity Commission an oversight of the work. The charity serves the people of Calne and surrounding villages

A larger team of volunteers have been working to supply food parcels. To give an idea of the
scale of the increase in demand; 337 parcels were issued during 2019; during 2020 over 1100 food parcels were issued.
To the end September 2021, 1183 food parcels have been issued.

We have only been able to achieve this through the generous support of the community. Individuals regularly donate and we are also grateful for the support of Morrisons (Chippenham), Sainsburys and Tesco supermarkets as well as other businesses. We are also thankful to Calne Town Council and Wiltshire Council for their ongoing support.

The Foodbank works in partnership with local schools and other agencies to help identify
those in need of help and , encouraging people to use the Foodbank is one of the main challenges, as we strive to help overcome any reticence. Thanks to Kevin Wells

Anyone who needs help can: Visit the Foodbank during opening times;
Email: calnefoodbank@gmail.com or Te: 07752213029.
Parcels can be collected or delivered. They can also be collected on behalf of the recipient ( ID will be needed if collecting for someone else ).