THE necessity for food banks
grows and grows. Between two and three tonnes of surplus food that
might otherwise go to landfill are now brought into
Derby every fortnight from the food industry. The
food is distributed to those who need it through a wide network of
charities.
The logistics of the
operation are considerable, and a new storage facility for the food
has just been officially opened at St Thomas's, Pear Tree, by the
Archdeacon of Derby, the Ven. Dr Christopher Cunliffe. It has been
built with funds raised by St Thomas's; the All Saints Charity,
based at Derby Cathedral; and the Unite union; and it is a
distribution point for FareShare to pass food on to
Derbyshire-based charities.
St Thomas's does not run its own food bank, but the Team Vicar,
the Revd Dr Simon Cartwright, says that "it is particularly good
that we can use St Thomas's in this way; for it enables us to play
our own part in helping overcome food poverty."