As Spring blossoms outside, we continue to serve our client community whilst keeping them, our staff and our volunteers safe during the COVID-19 crisis. Staff at Bath Foodbank have worked at breakneck speed to take our referral system online, centralize our storage and distribution processes, and to deliver much-needed food parcels direct to people’s homes, with the help of British Gas.

Our Life Skills groups have gone online and it is a fantastic combination of technology and adaptability which has enabled many clients to stay connected, alleviating the struggles of social isolation, bringing joy and a sense of community.

Whilst the vast majority of people sleeping rough in our city have been temporarily housed, we are providing individual, tailored support to some who remain outside. Administrative support and help with benefits is being given to clients who are struggling or need access to a computer.

We are constantly assessing how we’ll meet the needs of our clients going forward in the medium and long term.

We are anticipating that more people will be vulnerably housed and dealing with complex mental health or addiction issues as a result of COVID-19, and that our work will be more in demand than ever. This article from the BBC give some food for thought as to the challenges ahead: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52295894

If you would like to donate to enable us to continue caring for our vulnerable community, you can do so here.