Volunteer Party 2022
Once a year, the New Forest Basics Bank (NFBB) celebrates its volunteers at our annual party. On a rainy Tuesday over a hundred volunteers gathered upstairs at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. Through the large panoramic windows, as the last laser sailing boats returned to the jetty, the night fell, but inside the party had only just started!
Excited chatter ensued as more volunteers arrived and the welcome drinks flowed. Normally at the Food Bank, many volunteers rock up in an old pair of jeans or a once fashionable dress, ready to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in to get those food parcels out. Not so on party night, everyone scrubbed up quite well!
There are over 230 volunteers on our rota, yet ‘on shift’ at the Food Bank you only meet the 5 to 8 people who have signed up for the same time slot. This means you and your neighbour could both be NFBB volunteers, and you may not have realised! That is until the annual party! “Well I never, what are you doing here?” Moreover, introductions to fellow volunteers are easily made over a few Food Bank ‘war stories’. The room hummed with conversation and laughter.
Oli, our eloquent and enthusiastic Chairman, called everyone to order and kicked off his speech with a heartfelt thank you to all our volunteers. He also reminded us that everyone at NFBB is a volunteer. No one is paid for all their amazing efforts and hard work. Next, Oli paid tribute to the fantastic efforts of our nine Trustees, some working diligently behind the scenes, others more visible, all essential to our operation.
A very special mention went out to Sue Winnington for staying focused and on task despite the unrelenting pressure to procure more food in the face of ever-increasing prices and shortages in the supply chain. Sue’s upcoming Herculean challenge is to procure and store enough festive items to give out around 700 Christmas bags to families who are not clients yet, but who are teetering on the brink of needing the Food Bank.
Oli highlighted some of the key initiatives that will help NFBB to scale up more quickly as demand increases this winter: the walk-in fridge and the Food Bank van will be indispensable. Additionally, he explained the local larder programme which is now run four days a week across four locations. The popular and expanding larder membership scheme aims to help families and individuals by making their money go further. Citizen’s Advice Bureau and other organisations try to signpost to the larders before referring people for a Food Bank parcel. NFBB also promotes the larders to its clients who are getting back on their feet, as a means of moving off the Food Bank.
Oli also thanked Jane Overall for all the hard work that goes into the Food Rescue Kitchen and for the fantastic impact she has made on our operation since joining forces with NFBB. Last but not least Hilary was recognised for all the vital organising and the sheer amount of hard work she puts in as our Operations Manager. To a big round of applause Hilary received a well-deserved bunch of flowers. David Da Cunha, our deputy Chairman, closed the formal part of the evening by thanking Oli for his passion and for leading us all so ably in our mission to support local families and individuals in crisis.
After the speech, our volunteers tucked happily into the buffet. We are grateful that the welcome drinks and buffet were partially paid for by an anonymous sponsor! This meant that the ticket price for this event was just £5 per volunteer. Given that some of our volunteers are also Food Bank clients, and that our volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds, it is important to NFBB that this annual party is affordable to all. We would also like to mention that funds donated to NFBB were not used to pay for the party. All in all, an excellent evening and a BIG thank you to everyone!
