Changing lives

16 May 2011

Margaret Roberts (right) receiving donations from a supermarket shopper

Generous University staff and students have donated over a tonne of food to help people facing poverty in Cardiff via the Foodbank scheme.

Cardiff Foodbank is a city-wide project to help and support community members who face financial hardship and the reality of not being able to feed themselves or their families.

Cardiff’s involvement with Foodbank started in July 2010 with Margaret Roberts, Administrator in the School of City and Regional Planning, following an e-mail from her Head of School asking for volunteers to establish a collection point in the School.

Sally O’Connor, who works in the Research and Commercial Division (RACD) saw the donation box in the School and was inspired to set up the scheme in RACD. Together with Margaret, Sally decided to spread the word and try to get others on board across the University.

Sally said: “The idea is that every time you go shopping you buy at least one extra item, from a list provided by Foodbank, and place it in a dedicated box. The food then gets collected, weighed and stored by front line professional care workers who issue vouchers to those in need. The vouchers can be exchanged for three days of nutritionally balanced food.”
There are now 18 Foodbank Co-ordinators and collection points across many of the University’s Research Centres, Schools and Divisions, as well as in the Students’ Union, and over one tonne of food has been donated by University staff and students.

Blas spoke to Margaret Roberts about what inspired her to start the scheme at the University. She said: “I was motivated to help out with the Foodbank scheme after seeing a programme on television about a similar operation in an affluent area of the North of England. I was very heartened to see the difference it made to individuals who received food donations. Quite often it led to them having increased confidence and going on to find employment.

“It made them realise that strangers do care and, for me, that a small donation can make such a difference to people’s lives. When the email came through from our Head of School, Chris Webster, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to see if Cardiff could make a positive impact on people’s lives.  

(l-r) University staff Andy Davies and Sally O'Connor volunteering with Ian Purcell from Cardiff Foodbank

"The concept of Foodbank is very easy to grasp and you know that all the food you donate goes to local people in need. Hunger is not just a problem for third world countries - many people in Cardiff are, through no fault of their own, living below the poverty line. Charities like Foodbank make the difference to whether some people eat or not.

"We have been working with Cardiff Foodbank in other ways including a recent Cardiff University staff and student-volunteered supermarket collection at Sainsbury’s on Colchester Avenue where members of the public donated 948 kilograms of food in just one day. It was amazing to see the generosity of the human spirit,” she added.

Ian Purcell, who founded Cardiff Foodbank, praised the University’s involvement with the scheme: “Cardiff University's participation with Cardiff Foodbank has been such an encouragement. One lecturer with 60 brochures has turned into an army of volunteers and donors which has expressed what we desired to see - Cardiff's wider community responding to the needs of silent, suffering and struggling individuals and families. Your donations and time have made and are making such a difference.”

Staff are invited to help the Cardiff Foodbank project during the Welsh Assembly Government’s second Wales Sustainability Week. The University is helping to support the week (May 14-21) by joining forces with individuals, organisations and communities across Wales to help create a more sustainable nation.

During the week there will be a Foodbank collection box located in Main Building’s VJ Gallery, to encourage staff and students to bring along any food donations.

There is list of suggested food items below, and full details can be found on the Cardiff Foodbank website.

To find out where your nearest donation box is or to set up a box contact Sally (oconnorS@cf.ac.uk) or Margaret (robertsM3@cf.ac.uk).

Examples of food items: