Wilsons' Relationship With The Epsom & Ewell Foodbank Continues

Since 2012, the Epsom & Ewell Foodbank has been serving the community by providing food to those who need help making ends meet. One in five people in the UK are currently living below the poverty line which means that every day there are people going hungry. This is where the Foodbank comes in, supplying three days of emergency food to support local people in need.

Wilsons are proud to have forged a strong relationship with such a fantastic organisation. Originally we provided a Vauxhall Movano Large LWB van at cost price and arranged signwriting to increase the Foodbank's visibility in the local community. It has mainly been used to assist in the delivery of vital food supplies.

Aside from providing transportation, we have also supplied two new iPads with covers to be used as part of the Signposting and Furniture IT initiative. This programme has been very successful and the van is now largely used to pick up and deliver furniture. As a result, the Foodbank has decided to invest in a new, smaller van to help streamline their day-to-day activities. Wilsons Van Centre, Loads of Vans, has provided a Vauxhall Combo Sportive at cost price and ply lined it for free.

Epsom and Ewell Foodbank Manager, Jonathan Lees, said "having the smaller van means that we can be doing two things at once. We're using the large van for more furniture deliveries now, so it will be great to be able to have the Combo to use as well for food and other collections. It's going to be a lot more practical to get around some of the local car parks, that's for sure! I think a lot of our volunteers will be happy as well because most of them don't like using the big van. Thanks to Wilsons for their ongoing to support with our vans and to the National Lottery and The Family Building Society who helped us get the van."

Wilsons provide ongoing support to the Foodbank, especially when it comes to the maintenance of their vehicles. We make sure that they are serviced and MOT'd so that they are road legal and looked after. It is imperative that the Foodbank remains mobile and their vans stay on the road, which is ensured by the work carried out at our Service Centre.

How Can You Help Your Local Foodbank?

There are a whole host of ways that you can get involved with this fantastic cause.

Of course, the most obvious way of helping would be to donate food. Food donations are vital as over 90% of the food distributed is donated by the public. A full list of locations where your food can be donated is available here.

You could also help by donating money whether it is a small or large amount; a singular occurrence or regularly every month – every time you donate it helps to transform lives. Similarly, you can sign up to fundraise for the Foodbank by organising fundraising events such as a cake sale or simply by putting a collection pot in reception.

Finally, you could help by donating your time as a volunteer. There are a variety of ways that your time could be utilised for the good of the Foodbank. You could help out at one of the Foodbank centres meeting clients and giving out the actual food parcels. Before these food parcels are given out they need to be sorted which is where the warehouse volunteers come in. They help to weigh, sort and store all of the donated food.

Other important volunteer positions include web editors and voucher coordinators. If you have particular skills that can be utilised in the name of helping people, they will always be appreciated at the Foodbank. If you want to find out how you can volunteer, you can get in touch via email, phone or web enquiry, all details of which can be found here.

Even if you are unable to donate your time, it would be particularly helpful if you could spread the word of the amazing work done by the community for the community by following The Trussell Trust, the organisers of the Epsom and Ewell foodbank, on Facebook and Twitter.