Enniskillen food bank in need of support

by Gráinne Connolly

The public are being urged to show their support for the local food bank in Enniskillen. 

So far this year, Enniskillen food bank has helped over 100 people in the town area alone, however coming into the winter months demand for food has increased. 

(Some of Enniskillen Food Bank's volunteers - courtesy of the charity's facebook page)
 

Q Radio has been speaking to Sharon West, the manager at the Food Bank. 

She says they provide people with a weeks supply of food,  as well as pointing them in the right direction with other help they may need such as their financial struggles.

Ms West also explained how it's more of a personal experience, not just about the food.

"The reason we do that is because if most people are juggling their money, the thing that they forget to do is feed themselves.

"When they come in we offer them a warm drink and a biscuit so we can build up a relationship with them. 

"If we find that there is a lot of debt, we work with CAP at the moment which is Christians Against Poverty, we'll signpost them to CAP and what they do is go in, and it's such a brilliant service as well, because they will go to their house, talk to them about all their debt and then literally take away all that debt and then help them all the way through fruition to get them out of their debt situation. 

"We point them towards helping with oil, electric, we offer a listening ear, it's so much more than just the food."

The charity group is currently one of three local causes that's shortlisted for a Lidl "Community Works" award, which could see the group granted £4,000 if they came first. 

Sharon said there is so many things that the food bank could do with that funding and it could help so many people: 

"We're only at the start of what we want to do. 

"We want to run soup kitchens, especially coming in to this weather now because it's always whether people heat their house or eat. 

"We could maybe get a little delivery van because some people can't get into us, there's so much we could do. 

"We could get people coming in and helping with life skills, it could open the door for us because we're not government funded, everything that we get is by donation." 

While voting is now closed for the Lidl Community Works award, they Enniskillen Food Bank accept donations at any time of any size. 

"Any help would be greatly appreciated, any help we get makes such a difference to people's lives, totally makes a difference. 

"It helps gives them a little bit of dignity, a little bit of help. It's really an amazing job to do.

"Little or large we don't mind." 

While the Food Bank accepts donations of food or money, other items are also much needed by local people such as toiletries, nappies and dog food. 

To donate you can go to the Lakes Vineyard Church (opposite the Buttermarket), where the food bank is inside or there is more information on how to contact the food bank on their facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/EnniskillenFoodBank/

You can listen to Q Radio's full interview with Sharon linked below: