Garstang Food Bank | Food Bank Lancashire

07726 777856 | [email protected]

St Thomas' Garstang Food Bank (STGFB)

St Thomas' Garstang Food Bank (STGFB) is a charitable activity of Garstang St Thomas' Church PCC in the Diocese of Blackburn. The PCC's Registered Charity Number is 1131324. The STGFB's principal address is St Thomas' Church Hall, Church Street. Garstang PR3 1PA.

The Food Bank provides support to those in need throughout the local area. We are open to all sections of the community and ensure a warm welcome to anyone experiencing food difficulties be it a family, single or homeless person. Nobody in need will be turned away and in keeping with other foodbanks STGFB has a protocol for accessing our support. Those requesting continued support are asked to seek advice from a professional organisation, e.g., Citizens Advice, with the aim of lifting themselves out of whatever crisis they may be facing

Anyone who requests food from STGFB can visit the Food Bank. We are open from 09.30 - 11.00 on Mondays except Bank Holidays. Food is prepacked onto trays and depending on the number of adults/children, each person will be allocated one or two trays as appropriate. We also provide tea/coffee and treats, which not only creates a welcoming atmosphere, but provides a social environment for our users to meet.

We have approximately forty volunteers working to collect and distribute food. The number of people we support varies between twenty to fifty families. Some of our users will attend weekly, whereas others might prefer less frequent visits. The referral protocol indicates a finite number of visits before we ask for further review, which provides a degree of flexibility to the process. We also understand the importance users attach to their family pets and to assist we will provide pet food as donated.

We are currently working to establish a partnership with Citizens Advice. We understand most people seeking our support are experiencing financial difficulty. Therefore, we see the relationship with Citizens Advice as crucial to ensuring our people are maximising their income and where necessary, assisting them to deal with debt issues.

We are also building strategic relationships with stakeholders in order to find those who are harder to reach, e.g.3 local Primary Schools; Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club; Carers' Group; NHS Social Prescriber; Home Start Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre.