Slough Foodbank has been providing emergency food parcels to people in food poverty for the past 10 years and the area we support covers from Taplow in the West to Colnbrook in the East, and from Gerrards Cross, The Farnhams and Iver, to Datchet and parts of Windsor.
We currently operate out of 4 Distribution Centres in Slough (town centre), Langley, Cippenham and Britwell. From March 2021, we’ll be opening our 5th Distribution Centre in Iver Heath.
Slough Foodbank has provided support to Iver since we started in 2010, however during the Covid-19 pandemic the people of The Ivers have been further supported by The Ivers Parish Council who have been providing food parcels primarily through schools, to families who have found themselves in need. The community of The Ivers have made generous food donations but these had to stop due to lockdown restriction. The Parish Council secured emergency Covid-19 grants to continue the support but these funding streams are not expected to continue for much longer.
Representatives from The Ivers Parish Council approached Slough Foodbank to explore if a more permanent solution could be found. We are happy to confirm that, from the beginning of March, Slough Foodbank will be operating a distribution centre in The Ivers Parish. With our knowledge, expertise, processes, relationships with referral agencies, volunteers, warehouses and existing support of The Ivers, we are best-placed to provide this support.
The existing volunteers within The Ivers community will continue to be involved receiving full training and support from Slough Foodbank.
The Distribution Centre will open on 5th March 2021. Further details will be circulated nearer the time of go-live.
Whilst we are committed to helping and supporting people in food poverty, the opening of this Distribution Centre is not something Slough Foodbank is celebrating. Foodbanks are here to support families in crisis – it is not a long-term solution; we need to see the government put a long-term solution in place. Slough Foodbank will continue to do all we can to ensure that we can provide food during a time of crisis and continue to help raise the profile of food poverty and lobby for those who are in need.
Sue Sibany-King, Slough Foodbank Manager commented:
“We continue to see far too much hopelessness, as many just do not know what the future might hold and struggle with delays and changes to benefits, low income, debt, job losses and homelessness. It is vitally important that we remain committed to supply food, home fuel and share our hope and encouragement that the community cares.
We are thankful that communities like The Ivers have stepped up to help those less fortunate than themselves and with the opening of the Distribution Centre, we will continue to do our role in the community of providing emergency, 3-day non-perishable, nutritionally balanced food parcels to those in food poverty in The Ivers.”
