Winter months can be very difficult for individuals and families who are already managing on extremely tight budgets.
Increased winter fuel costs, an unexpected illness or a delay in receiving benefits can be enough to push people into food crisis.
Nobody should have to choose between heating and eating. And you can help make sure that no-one has to – by donating food, helping collect it, or spreading the word.
If you are thinking of organising a food collection, maybe at your place of work, this is the sort of thing that is most useful to us in stocking our foodbank and saves enormously on our weekly supermarket bill.
Yes please!
Tins of: Fruit, Rice Pudding, Tuna, Meats – (eg stews, meatballs, curries), Hot Dogs, Peas, Carrots, Sweetcorn, Tomatoes.
‘Weetabix’ or own brand equivalent, Other breakfast cereals, Instant Coffee (small jars), Sugar (250g packs), Jam, Marmalade or Lemon Curd, Pasta sauces. Semi-skimmed UHT milk.
Instant Mashed Potato, Biscuits, Puddings, Jellies, ‘Angel Delight’.
Thanks, but no thanks!
We don’t want to appear fussy but it has to be said there is a list of items that we would prefer not to get – but all for very good reasons:
Lasagne sheets – this type of pasta is really only suited to making a lasagne dish, and if you don’t have the rest of the ingredients and maybe no oven, there is not much you can do with it.
Kidney beans, lentils, chick peas and any other type of pulses except baked beans – we are given a lot of this type of food and to be perfectly honest, we struggle to use it. Peas, carrots and sweetcorn are firm favourites.
We do like to give people some choices in what they eat – because let’s face it, when your life is in crisis, choice is something you don’t get much opportunity to exercise.
Out of date food
It is a sad fact but every year we are given hundreds of items of out of date food, often by several years! Although it is not illegal to sell or give away food that is past its ‘best before date’, it is our policy not to use this. Just because the food is being given away it doesn’t mean to say its quality or age is not important – we believe it is.
However, food that is a little bit out of date is clearly marked and left to one side for clients to help themselves – should they want to – anything else has to be put in the bin.
Toiletries
We also distribute basic toiletries to our customers if they require them. If you can’t afford to eat, chances are you can’t afford to buy the necessary to keep clean and sweet smelling – which is important if you want to find employment.
We are happy to take soap, shampoo, shower gel, disposable razors, deodorants, handy packs of tissues, toothbrushes, toothpaste and sanitary items.
Delivering food to the Larder
You can drop your donations off at the Rosemary Lane Larder during our main opening hours, Tuesdays and Fridays 1.30 – 3pm.
For large donations please contact us to arrange delivery to our warehouse.
If you would like us to collect from you, please call us on the Larder mobile: 07914655460 or email us on lincolncommunitylarder@hotmail.co.uk