'Working for the well being of the whole community... and helping reduce food waste'
 

Gillian Jones explains how and why the Alvechurch Community Larder came about - and the local recognition it received this year

Three years ago Churches Together in Alvechurch and Rowney Green in north east Worcestershire ran a Lent study course called “Life on the Breadline”. This was open to anyone from any church and the wider community.

Out of those studies came a desire to do something for our village , and the idea of a community larder was born. We recognised that we had a number of people who were finding life difficult financially, yet didn’t qualify or were unable to access Redditch food bank four miles away, or felt ashamed to need support. The study also emphasised the need to prevent food waste. 

Four members of the study group, including two from the Baptist fellowship, started by looking at various models already in operation to help decide what was right for our village.

Soon others from church and community joined the management committee and Alvechurch Community Larder opened in December 2022.

Our aims are to work for the well being of the whole community and to help reduce food waste. We redistribute surplus food from local supermarkets and from the charities Fareshare, Neighbourly and Foodiverse. 

We had a generous donation to buy a commercial fridge and freezer, and funds from the Parish Council all helped us to get started. Alvechurch Baptist Church took a leap of faith and gave us a room free of rental charges, possibly not realising just how much that would entail! 

Our volunteers are truly our prized asset. They fulfil many and varied roles - food collection and sorting, reception, being personal shoppers for our clients, serving hot drinks, and a friendly ear (listener) where needed.

We started with 20 people/families attending one session a week, but now routinely help 80 people over two sessions every week.

The surprise has been the growth of the social network for everyone. The volunteers gain, knowing they are involved with a really useful project, and the clients have bonded together in a way that has made their visit a social occasion every week, something known to be vital for everyone’s well being.

We know we have saved 30396 kg of CO2** by redistributing food that would have gone to landfill: we have also provided placements for Duke of Edinburgh students as well as adults needing workplace experience.  

Our listeners have been able to signpost to other services; we have a number of organisations visiting regularly such as the police, fire, energy advice and our local social housing agency. Last month we hosted a forum for other voluntary providers to help them to bring more support into our small community.

We are currently in the process of seeking charity status which will help us further improve our funding and services.    

Earlier in the year, Charles Moyle JP, at the time the Lord High Sheriff of Worcestershire, was visiting some of the community groups in the Bromsgrove district, and this included Alvechurch Community Larder. He seemed to be quite impressed with the work being done here.

However, we were very surprised a few weeks after when we were approached by the Council to arrange a further visit, to enable the Lord High Sheriff to present us with a citation ‘In recognition of great and valuable services to the community’.

It was a memorable occasion: everyone involved in any way with the larder was invited.

After the presentation The Lord High Sheriff stayed to talk over a cup of tea before the photographs were taken. 


Image | Marcus Mingins | republished with permission 
Charles Moyle JP, the Lord High Sheriff of Worcestershire, presents a High Sheriff award to the Alvechurch Community Larder and its volunteers

 

Gillian Jones is a trustee and the treasurer Alvechurch Baptist Church

** from records from Foodiverse but excludes direct pickups made by the larder from independent donations.