REDDITCH Foodbank has moved out of St Stephen’s Church and into new premises at the top of Alcester Street just in time to cope with the surge in demand caused by the coronavirus crisis.
Situated opposite Redditch Library, the move was arranged through local property agents John Truslove.
“The new premises give us more space than we had across our previous two sites and is also more central meaning people can get to us and access our service easily,” said the Rev.David Evans, who manages the Foodbank.
“It wasn’t planned but it has happened at the best possible time – demand has surged to an unprecedented level in the last month.”
The Acts of Kindness (AOK) food bank was launched in 2011 with a number of trustees from churches within Redditch, after seeing the challenging circumstances faced by some people in the town.
Now a charity in its own right and working with more than 40 referral agencies it has provided tonnes of food to thousands of people in need over the years.
AOK had been running from distribution centres at St Stephen’s and The Link at Winyates Centre, but it became clear more space was needed in a more central location.
Working with the team at John Truslove, AOK has secured a five-year lease at £12,000 per annum on 973 sq ft of ground floor offices in the former estate agent’s premises at 24 Church Green East.
“We are in an ideal place to serve local people in need,” said Rev.Evans.
“Fortunately, we have seen a huge increase in donations, both from businesses and from more members of the public.
“I think people were taken aback by some of the acts of selfishness that were seen at the start of the crisis, such as hoarding, and there has been something of a reaction against that.
“We have seen hundreds of thousands of people nationwide volunteering to help others while the rise in the donations to our food bank shows that both ordinary people and local companies want to play their part in supporting those most in need at this time.”
Those looking to donate or help the work of the AOK food bank can find out more at https://aokuk.org.uk/
