Swindon Food Collective open two new distribution centres

The Swindon Food Collective are opening two new distribution centres today, on Friday 24 June 2022 in an effort to take food to those in need in the wider community.

The new centres opened their doors this morning in an effort to enable more people to access their service.

One new centre is to be open at St Timothy’s Church, Grundy’s, Liden Centre SN3 6HP on Friday mornings between 10 am and 12 noon. The second centre will be open at Christ the Servant Church, Abbey Meads Centre, Elstree Way, SN25 4YX between 11 am and 1 pm each Friday.

Those in need will now be able to get a referral from various agencies which include the Citizens Advice, SBC Emergency Assistance Team, Schools, Health Visitors, Social Workers, CPN’s, and other agencies such as Harbour Project, Probation, Police, Turning Point, Nelson Trust, Salvation Army and many care or housing providers to attend either of the distribution centres on Friday morning when they open for the first time.

Cher Smith MBE, Manager of the Swindon Food Collective said, ‘The idea is to take the food closer to the people that need it and help save the need to travel into town or to other neighbourhoods to access our service. We are hoping that people in these localities will now be able to come to us easier.’

The opening of these two new centres increases the number of distribution outlets operating under the Swindon Food Collective to 10 with there now being centres in Lyneham, Royal Wootton Bassett, Highworth, Freshbrook, Penhill, Parks, Pinehurst and the town centre alongside the new ones at Liden and Abbey Meads.

In the last 12 month period the numbers of people receiving food through the Swindon Food Collective has increased from 6,200 to 8,534 with up to 40% being children during the school holiday periods.

There will be official opening ceremonies on Friday 8 July 2022  when Fiona Lansdowne, Marchioness of Lansdowne, High Sheriff of Wiltshire, will open the two centres along with a representative from each of the Parish Councils of Haydon Wick and Nythe, Eldene and

The Swindon Food Collective was formed in June 2018 subsuming the former Swindon Foodbank operations. Swindon Food Collective is an independent food bank feeding over 8,500 adults and children on a yearly basis in the Swindon and surrounding area. The charity collects food, sorts and packages it at their warehouse and then (re)distributes the donations via their 10 distribution centres across Swindon, Highworth and Royal Wootton Bassett which between them operate 14 sessions a week, Monday to Friday.

Annually, approximately 80-100,000 kgs of non-perishable food is donated by local people and redistributed to those in need, delivering more than 73,000 meals.

Over 45 volunteers help at the Swindon Food Collective alongside 4 part-time paid members of staff (FTE 2) and a board of trustees made up from the volunteer group.