Street Collections by Helen Price

As the COVID -19 crisis began to hit, donations of food to the food banks dramatically fell away, whilst demand increased – and is still increasing.

Cllr Helen Price, Clewer and Dedworth East (tBf) in Windsor set herself a self-imposed mission to try and find new sources of food for the Windsor FoodShare - WFS(she is part of the Management Committee) whilst liaising with the Maidenhead FoodShare - MFS who were facing similar problems (but on a larger scale). She pursued many avenues, most of which ended in dead ends. However one has proved most fruitful. It came about when the WFS Organiser, Sarah Howard, mentioned to Helen that a resident had appeared with a box full of food explaining she had left out a box in her front garden and encouraged neighbours to donate non-perishable food items. Helen took this idea and encouraged residents across Windsor to do the same, providing them with guidelines. Residents offered Helen help with IT issues (eg producing a google map and attractive documents) and this scheme has really taken off and currently there are 50 drop off points in Windsor, currently providing around 25% of the WFS food parcels. Early on the idea was taken up by Honor Abell (Ascot People FB group) and these street boxes have been used for collections for the NHS and charities that support families in the area as well as for the Windsor Foodbank. Helen contacted friends Tom Easten, tBf Candidate and Cllr Helen Taylor, Oldfield (tBf) in Maidenhead to run a similar system for MFS. This too has really taken off in Maidenhead, at a time where the enormous increase in requests for support threatened to overwhelm its foodbank. Cllr Lynne Jones (OWRA) Old Windsor has also set up this system in Old Windsor and currently has around 10 drop off points. Discussions are taking place with David Buckley, tBf candidate, for a similar system in Datchet.

Helen explained the multiple benefits of this system. Rather than relying on a few big donors this food pipeline is more secure as it involves many residents each donating small amounts, so if one drops out the impact is negligible. Those residents hosting the boxes feel good they are doing something tangible to help the community, and those donating also feel good, and obviously those receiving the food feel tremendously good. So a big feelgood factor with this system.

Helen explained that in Windsor the demand for food has increased pre -COVID – 19 from supplying around 35 households to some 130 households. This has been achieved by four organisations working collaboratively to ensure no Windsor residents go hungry. These organisations comprise the Windsor Homeless Project and Driven Forward, who supply food packs and hot meals to our homeless now in Temporary Accommodation, and the West Windsor Hub organised by Cllr Carole Da Costa (WWRA) Clewer and Dedworth East, which offers shopping, picking up prescriptions and telephone support as well as providing free food parcels to those in need, and the Windsor FoodShare who deliver parcels once a week on Thursdays. Only by such organisations working in collaboration with local residents and local businesses being generous with their time, money and food donations can we ensure residents won’t go hungry.

Helen Price 2 May 2020