FOODBANK 2019 REVIEW:  Thanks to your generosity as church members, over the past year we raised £1639.49 through donations of cash. This coupled with your generous donations of food has enabled us, as a congregation, to donate 2037kg of much needed food for the North Ayrshire Foodbank. The gifts of cash have allowed us to buy, at short notice, those items where the foodbank is running short so ensuring no delay in the making up of food parcels. Again, thanks for your Christian generosity in ministering to those in need in our local community.

Since our church has become actively involved in the North Ayrshire Foodbank, members have been helping out in the collecting of food at a number of special supermarket collections which have taken place over the past few months.

What is even more heartening is the level of individual contributions being handed into the church on a Sunday morning . We are now registered as a collection centre for the Foodbank and since the announcement at the February communion we have been averaging three crates of food each week, which is great as it goes a long way to help those in need.

Many people are of the opinion that foodbanks cater for the down-and-outs and for people who don’t want to work but, in fact, most is far from the truth. Most recipients are normal folk whose benefits have been delayed or those who have hit hard times.

Since the foodbank started in November till the 22nd of March, here are some interesting statistics :
Food Boxes Distributed = 147
Adults Fed = 181, Children Fed = 106, Total Fed = 287
Total Food Collected = 4,494 kg
Total Food Distributed = 1,992 kg

These individuals have been provided with a three-day supply of food, to help them through their crisis. People are referred for many reasons, including illness, redundancy, domestic violence, homelessness or family breakdown. It’s been said that many of us are one pay cheque away from a crisis.  Recently, following a request, a number of food boxes were sent to Arran, to ease the emergency situation caused by the snow storm on the island.

This is Christianity in the practical sense, ministering to the needs of our local community and we are proud that our church is taking an active part in this ongoing venture.

Donations can be handed in any Sunday Morning at the Session House, at any meeting of the Guild and also at the Coffee Club on Tuesdays mornings in the Church Hall. If everyone contributes a couple of items a week it is amazing how stocks build up. The basic shopping list is shown and priority items will be indicated, each Sunday, in the order of service. As Jesus is quoted in Matthew 25 – verses 35-36:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me...”

As Christians, this is what is expected of us today...

F. W. Henderson

northayrshire.foodbank.org.uk