September 2017


Abingdon Emergency Foodbank Linda Hobbs


I'm Linda Hobbs and I've volunteered at Abingdon Foodbank for approximately 3 years. The food bank, situated at Christ Church on Northcourt Road, opens on Tuesday and Friday mornings. Support comes from the churches in Abingdon, collections at the local Waitrose, and schools often donate during Harvest Festival. Volunteers assist in various capacities, some liaise directly with clients, whilst behind the scenes others sort and date, so ensuring only contributions ‘in date’ are given out.


Agencies, including Social Services, CAB, and Doc- tors give referrals. Clients include families, individu- als and even homeless per- sons. Many reasons dictate why assistance is required, including illness, bereave- ment, benefit delays or just unexpected life events.


We welcome everybody with a warm smile, a hot drink and delicious home- made biscuits. We aim to provide sufficient food for 3 meals a day for 3 days.


Time spent with clients, talking and listening, is as important as food given and it's lovely when clients return to tell us how their situation has changed.


www.abingdonfoodbank.org


We are frequently asked, ‘Is a Foodbank needed in Abingdon?’ Regrettably, the answer is YES, currently we receive 10-15 referrals a week; during 2016 we fed around 1500 people, and people keep coming!


Our aim is to give a balanced diet, including meat, fish, pasta, rice and vegetables. Most donated food is tinned, but additional fresh vegetables are available when a supermarket donates excess. Additionally, we give bread and, if required ,toiletries, including soap, shampoo, toilet rolls; necessary, but expensive.


Additional initiatives are hampers at Christmas, and this summer, extra help to referred families during the long school holidays.


Volunteering has been a privilege, enriching and fulfilling and I always look forward to my shifts. Time spent with clients enables me to appreciate the challenges others have to deal with. Looking back, some encounters, though challenging, cause me to smile.


We are all grateful for the generous support we re- ceive which enables us to assist people in their time of greatest need. Please continue to donate - every contribution, however small helps.


As St. Paul says, ‘it is more blessed to give than re- ceive’.


Collections for the food bank are taken regularly at St Helen’s and St Nicolas’. We would particularly invite you to donate suitable items during the Harvest Ser- vices at St Nicolas’ (17 Sept) and St Helen’s (24 Sept).


Answers to the Summer Quiz - Imaginary and Fictional Places - by Rod Hunt


1 Camelot 2 Lilliput 3 Toyland 4 Ambridge 5 Celestial City 6 Big Rock Candy Mountain


7 Never Never Land 8 Narnia 9 Gotham 10 Ramsay Street 11 Krypton


12 Hogwarts 13 Xanadu 14 Oz 15 El Dorado 16 Utopia 17 South Wessex 18 Brigadoon 19 Avalon 20 Treasure Island 21 Middle Earth 22 Lark Rise 23 Valhalla


24 Honnah Lee (Honali) 25 Llareggub 26 Nod 27 House of the Rising Sun


28 Shangri-La 29 Albert Square 30 Wonderland 31 Warmington-on-Sea 32 Middlemarch 33 Bedrock 34 Illyria


35 Land where the Bong Tree grows


36 Crinkly Bottom 37 Atlantis 38 Downton 39 Erwehon 40 Springfield 41 Davy Jones’ Locker 42 Gallifrey 43 St Mary Mead 44 Trumpingtonshire 45 Barchester


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